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Raptors' Casey: 'I like that people underestimate us'

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey doesn't mind that his team doesn't get the adoration. To him, that's just motivation.

Coming off a 56-win season that saw the Raptors take two games off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, there's a surprising lack of hype around the franchise from up north.

For example, some prognosticators have the Boston Celtics, and even the Indiana Pacers, taking over Toronto's spot as second-best in the East despite the Raptors winning eight more games than the Celtics and defeating Indiana in the playoffs last season.

The league is quiet on the Raptors, and that's exactly how Casey wants it.

"I like it, I like that people underestimate us. It should motivate us, putting us as underdogs," Casey told Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. "We have to earn respect and do it over. Can't be a one-day, one-year wonder, we've got to go out and prove to the league again that we're for real."

Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll echoed similar sentiments, as he looks forward to sneaking up on unsuspecting teams in the coming season.

"That's kind of what you want. You want to slide under the radar, you don't want too much expectations because then everybody's waiting for you," Carroll said.

"We're going to come in, play Toronto Raptors basketball. We're going to surprise a lot of people like we did last year. We don't care who believes in us or not."

Having returned the entirety of their young core from last year's run (save for backup center Bismack Biyombo, who was replaced by Jared Sullinger), the Raptors are poised for their fourth straight playoff run. The team has improved its record in every year under Casey.

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