Dwane Casey hoping players take offense to LeBron comments

LeBron James may have just given the Toronto Raptors some extra motivation in their second-round matchup with the Miami Heat.

The Cleveland Cavaliers forward told reporters Wednesday that he'd love to face friend and former teammate Dwyane Wade in the Eastern Conference semifinals - a sign he may be counting out the Raptors.

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey didn't take kindly to James' comments, hoping that his players will use the apparent shot to motivate them for Game 2.

"Well that's fine and I said this before. Nobody respects us, everybody has written us off and that's fine," Casey told reporters Wednesday. "Hopefully our guys take that to heart and take offense to it."

This isn't the first time Casey has played the "nobody believes in us" card to drive his team, telling reporters that the media doubters inspired the Raptors during their first-round series win over the Indiana Pacers.

After dropping Game 1 in overtime, the Raptors will look for a much-needed win Thursday as they attempt to tie their second-round series prior to heading to South Beach.