Jamal Shead Says Raptors’ Effort Was 110 Times Better
jamal shead said the Raptors’ turnaround started with a blunt message after Game 2, and Toronto backed it up by taking two home games from the Cleveland Cavaliers to send the series back to Cleveland for Game 5. The difference, Shead said on April 28, was the way the Raptors played after Darko Rajaković’s post-Game 2 comment.
Jamal Shead and Game 4
Shead put it simply: “Our effort was just 110 times better.” He made that point during a practice media availability on April 28 after Toronto clawed back into the series with improved defense, more forced turnovers and stronger work in the paint.
In Game 4, he also delivered one of the plays that showed that edge. Shead dove onto the floor, caused Donovan Mitchell to lose his handle and forced an eight-second violation. Toronto shot 32% from the field in that game and still kept stacking winning plays.
Darko Rajaković After Game 2
The turning point, as Shead described it, came after Game 2 when Rajaković addressed the team in the shower room. Shead relayed the coach’s words: “Coach made a comment after Game 2 and was just like, ‘You guys came in here and none of y’all are tired. Everybody’s getting dressed, getting to the shower really quick. None of you guys are tired and barely wanting to move. We should feel like that after every game.”
Toronto’s response showed up in the details. The Raptors defended better, forced turnovers, pushed for more fastbreak points and made their presence felt around the rim against Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
Toronto’s Home Stand
The two home wins changed the shape of the series after Toronto had lost the first two games. Scottie Barnes also picked up Mitchell full court late in the fourth quarter in Game 4, another sign of how much the Raptors’ approach had tightened.
Now the series is back in Cleveland for Game 5, and Toronto has already shown the formula it plans to lean on: physical defense, loose-ball pressure and enough winning plays to survive even when the shot isn’t falling. The Raptors did that while shooting 32% in Game 4, which was the clearest proof that the effort, not the box score, drove the comeback.
