Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic got the better of Stephen Curry on Monday, leading his team to a 104-101 win over the Golden State Warriors at Scotiabank Arena. In his postgame press conference, Rajakovic was asked about coaching against Curry and hilariously admitted he can’t wait for the guard to retire.
“Doing my best,” Rajakovic said. “Steph Curry is a play that it’s a privilege for all of us to live in an era and to work in this era in the NBA when he is playing. I just told my coaching staff I’ve been playing against him for a long, long time. I can’t wait for him to retire. I’m going to get drunk that night, I promise you that. I’m going to celebrate.”
Rajakovic has been coaching in the NBA since 2014 and Curry would have given him plenty of sleepless nights over the years. The two-time MVP has also given him some playoff heartbreak.
Rajakovic was an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder when Curry orchestrated that famous 3-1 comeback in the 2016 Western Conference Finals. He was then an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies when the Warriors beat them in six games in the Western Conference Semifinals in 2022.
You can’t blame Rajakovic for wanting to see Curry walk off into the sunset with that being the case. What is quite interesting, though, is that the 45-year-old has had success against the 10-time All-Star since he became head coach of the Raptors in 2023.
Curry has gone 1-2 against the Raptors since the start of last season. The 36-year-old has averaged just 20.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 0.3 steals in those games while shooting 37.7% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc.
In this latest clash, Curry had 26 points (9-17 FG), seven rebounds, seven assists, and a steal. Rajakovic had Davion Mitchell guarding him for much of the night and while he wasn’t able to neutralize the superstar guard, he did ensure there was no offensive explosion.
That, in turn, helped the Raptors get the win over the Warriors and snapped a five-game losing streak. They have now improved to 9-31 on the season and are 13th in the East.
While Rajakovic and the Raptors were thrilled after this game, Curry and the Warriors were understandably down after losing to a rebuilding team. They have now dropped to 19-20 on the season and are 12th in the West.
As Rajakovic mentioned, it has been a privilege to witness Curry in action all these years and it’s a shame that he’s on such an uncompetitive team at this point. Every basketball fan wants to see him play in those high-pressure playoff games and it is doubtful he’ll ever be in them again if he stays with the Warriors.
The Warriors might have to make a big win-now trade if they are to become contenders again but their star guard won’t push them to make one. Curry believes the Warriors should avoid desperate trades that would hurt their future. He would love for the roster to be upgraded, but only if it’s the right move for the organization long-term.
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