"Because this connection to serpents, albeit from a team that has a dinosaur mascot, periodically kept returning. First at Summer League, not just with the hand gestures but to the point that Mogbo was even saying "it's like we're the cobras" in reference to a squad that went 4-1 and was forcing nearly 30 turnovers per game. While also not shying away from making what he thought were the sounds of a snake striking."
"And for months, I thought nothing of it until the Raptors held an open coach's clinic in October during pre-season and assistant coach Pat Delaney referenced "cobra mentality" when speaking about the team's defensive style. But it wasn't until opening night, when - after pumping the Atlanta Hawks - Darko Rajakovic unveiled what appeared to be a 6-foot staff with a Cobra adorned on top, that I really started to get curious."
The Toronto Raptors have spent 42 games as a top-10 defense, peaking as high as third and currently ranking fifth. The defensive unit has been unorthodox, greater than the sum of its parts, and elite. Defensive contributions have come from players such as Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles alongside coaching adjustments by Darko Rajakovic. A team-wide "cobra mentality" originated in July with Jonathan Mogbo's snake-like hand gesture and was reinforced during Summer League, when the squad went 4-1 and forced nearly 30 turnovers per game. The mentality was referenced publicly by assistant coach Pat Delaney and symbolized by Rajakovic's cobra-topped staff on opening night.
Read at Raptors Republic
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]