Dwane Casey: Raptors are 'closer' to an NBA championship

A deep run in this year's postseason for his Toronto Raptors has head coach Dwane Casey thinking his squad isn't far off from hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy.

"We're closer," Casey told reporters Tuesday during a news conference to announce his three-year contract extension. "But we're not there yet. There's still work to be done."

Having never won a seven-game playoff series prior to this season, Casey and the Raptors eliminated both the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat en route to the Eastern Conference finals before falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games.

Toronto has improved in the win column each season under Casey, with the franchise setting a new record for victories with 56 in 2015-16. The team won just 23 games during his first year on the job in 2012.

"It's not easy. We've had some tough times. But to get to where you want to go, you're going to have to go through those tough times," Casey said. "Continuity is huge. Our system, the players that have been here, (general manager) Masai (Ujiri) and his staff. The key word is consistent. Guys know what to expect."

In order to maintain that aforementioned consistency, the Raptors will seek to re-sign soon-to-be-unrestricted free agent DeMar DeRozan to what many believe will be a max contract this summer. The 26-year-old All-Star led Toronto in scoring during its playoff run with 20.9 points per game, although he only converted 39.4 percent of his attempts.