When the Toronto Raptors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers (again) in the most embarrassing way imaginable, the whispers began.
Would the Raptors fire Dwane Casey, a man who’s likely to be named NBA Coach of Year for his work with the first-place Raptors this season?
Ten days ago, the Raptors were the toast of the town. They had just beaten Washington in the first round of the playoffs, following the franchise’s best regular season.
They weren’t the “same old Raptors.” They had everything going for them and would give LeBron a run for his money – and maybe even beat him.
They didn’t.
Reaction from fans and media was wide-ranging.
Some saw the move as a necessary one for a team that underachieved when it mattered most. Others saw this as the team placing the blame on Casey – who is a great coach.
And the rest?
Well, they just saw a great opportunity to crack some jokes on the internet.
See also
- NBA coaches name Raptors' Dwane Casey Coach of the Year
- Shaq and Barkley have intense yelling match over Raptors (VIDEO)
- Report: Raptors interested in former Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer
Here’s a selection of the reaction online:
Time for the Raptors to shake things up? 🤔@Drake x Will Ferrell pic.twitter.com/EjUHvoTpYv
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 11, 2018
Breaking: The Raptors have fried Dwayne Casey. Lebron James now becomes the first player in NBA history from an opposing team to get a coach fired for 3 straight 50 win seasons.
— The Fake ESPN (@TheFakeESPN) May 11, 2018
Possible Raptors coaches:
-Random Guy: Will get same results for $5/yr
-Gregg Popovich: Will trade Lowry/DeRozan for real players ASAP
-Phil Jackson: Great now for tanking
-Timmy Jones: 81-1 with the Raptors in NBA2K
-LaVar Ball: Says he’d sweep the Cavs and Warriors every year— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) May 11, 2018
Dwane Casey will always be the best coach the Raptors have ever had. All the recent success is because of him and the culture he created.
— Sidra (@ByeGuys17) May 11, 2018
Raptors fire Dwane Casey, the coach who produced the team's only 3 50+ win seasons.
Should they, like, fire the entire team?
— Bonnie Bernstein (@BonnieBernstein) May 11, 2018
“Who are: the Toronto Raptors?”#JeopardySports #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/uuGW9Namqf
— Jeopardy! Sports (@JeopardySports) May 11, 2018
THANK YOU DWANE CASEY!
Whether you like him or not, but since he got here, he only improved the Raptors every year. He changed this team from being one of the worst to consistently being in the playoffs.
Easily the best coach in Raptors history. pic.twitter.com/uKlT3XYQvs
— Raptors Nation (@RaptorsNationTO) May 11, 2018
Brutal call @Raptors You’ve just lost a loyal fan. #scapegoat
— Coach Shawn (@CoachShawn5) May 11, 2018
This is sad but it's also required. We all will thank Casey for taking us to a great level where more was expected from us, he’s been a great coach.
— KD (@ManCityKD) May 11, 2018
Thank you coach Casey for a job well done. You will be missed. ❤️🏀🇨🇦
— Jenn (@jdoh2) May 11, 2018
I cannot believe this. Coach of the Year & you let him go because the PLAYERS forgot to show up on court against the Cavs?!! GTFOH
— Patti Millar (@mamapatti55) May 11, 2018
I’ve never heard of a coach of the year getting fired after the season. Ultimate Winner is Casey though. I’m positive a team in the USA will hire him to coach.
— BC (@bcartersix) May 11, 2018
Wrong move , who are we going to get ? Very disappointed very sad day for me as a raptors fan
— Cleo (@DeBucketDemar) May 11, 2018
Great move.
— Tyler (@kbttyler) May 11, 2018
— Casey Matzke (@caseymatzke) May 11, 2018
— Danby Russell White (@danbyrussellTCP) May 11, 2018
This makes no sense whatsoever.
NO SENSE.
— Dann Alexander (@WriterDann) May 11, 2018
As a Big Raptors I'm Disgusted….
— Shanefoo (@Shanefoo) May 11, 2018