Excuses won’t cut it as Raptors’ inexcusable play continues to spiral

And so ends an 11-day stretch that saw the Raptors play seven games, a time when Toronto showed glaring deficiencies on defence, a time when the team’s offence vanished.

And so ends the Raptors’ NBA Cup drive to Las Vegas.

As with anything sports related or life in general, an end can be viewed as the beginning of something new.

We already knew the Raptors would be hard-pressed to beat good teams when two starters are unavailable because of injury, most knew Toronto’s inexperienced bench would show flashes, but also would get exposed.

The seven-game window was illuminating on many fronts, beginning with the Raptors’ overtime loss in Charlotte, where the Hornets didn’t take their first lead until the extra five-minute period.

The run of playing seven games in 11 days ended meekly Tuesday night when the Raptors went stone cold in a 13-point second quarter.

The Raptors rolled a seven and, for the most part, got rolled — including two blowout losses at the hands of the Knicks.

Toronto went 1-6 during that span, including posting a 1-4 homestand that began with a win over Portland before the Raptors’ defence and offence took turns imploding.

A four-game losing streak won’t inspire much confidence, but at least there’s time to pick up the pieces before the Raptors are back on the court Monday night against the host Miami Heat.

A nine-game win streak did allow the Raptors to create a much-needed buffer when the inevitable tough stretch arrived while just about everything has gone against the club.

Justifiable concerns

At 15-11, not many expected the Raptors to be four games above .500 at this point in the season, but it’s the way games have been lost that have raised justifiable concerns.

Keep in mind the Raptors’ roster is far from complete, the team very much a work in progress that competes far more often than it capitulates.

Brandon Ingram is the undisputed go-to guy on offence, even though at times he will force his offence.

Scottie Barnes also has shown an ability to dominate on both sides of the floor. On Tuesday night, he missed 12 of his 18 attempts, including going 1-for-6 from beyond the three-point arc. His minus-20 spoke volumes, as did the zero trips to the foul line in 37 minutes.

The Knicks advance to the NBA Cup’s semifinal, where they’ll play the Orlando Magic.

The one common trait that defines each team is toughness.

“We’re starting to figure out who we are,” head coach Mike Brown said following New York’s 117-101 win Tuesday night.

“Early in the season, we had a lot of injuries during the pre-season, so I didn’t have a good feel for this team or as good a feel as I needed to have and that’s part of the reason why we (have struggled) on the road.”

Prior to Tuesday, the Knicks had won only three away games against six losses.

The team’s lone home loss came against the Magic before New York exacted some revenge by winning in Orlando.

Talent disparity

The Knicks are legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference, which shouldn’t come as any big surprise.

Franz Wagner’s leg injury doesn’t help Orlando’s cause, but the addition of Desmond Bane can’t be overstated — his coming-out party as a Magic player arriving against Miami in the Cup quarterfinal.

The Raptors aren’t as good as the Knicks and the two most recent losses, each by lopsided scores, underscores the disparity. Orlando is better than the Raptors as well and would’ve provided a tough test.

At some point, some level of consistency must be attained by the Raptors.

When they won 13 of 14 games to climb into second place in the Eastern Conference, expectations became unrealistic.

Having lost six of seven to drop into fifth place and only half a game from falling into the ninth slot, it would be foolish to suggest the sky is falling.

As trite as it may sound, the Raptors weren’t as good when they were rolling — mainly against bad teams it must be noted — and they’re not as bad in the wake of getting rolled against a very good team such as the Knicks.

Light Slate Awaits

The expression “no rest for the weary” is not applicable to the Raptors, who can use some rest.

During the next 10 days, only two games will be played.

Jakob Poeltl (back), RJ Barrett (knee) and Immanuel Quickley (illness) should benefit, though it’s anyone’s guess when Barrett will return to the lineup as the club updates his status on a week-to-week basis.

While the NBA season is a grind, no one said it would be easy, even when winning became easy earlier in the season.

“Yeah, seven games in 11 days. We definitely need it (rest),” Jamal Shead said following Tuesday’s loss. “We need to get healthy. RJ (Barrett), Quick (Immanuel Quickley), just our entire team, we just need our bodies to get right.”

As does the team’s mindset.

Shead started for Quickley against the Knicks, who were led by Jalen Brunson’s game-high 35 points.

This Raptors restart should help.

Fatigue and injury won’t cut it when breaking down a losing stretch because everyone knows they amount to excuses.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com