TORONTO -- When Dwane Casey and Masai Ujiri met the morning after the Toronto Raptors' most successful season in franchise history, there were no congratulatory high fives or back slaps.

The message of that forward-thinking meeting was: what next?

"I love that," Ujiri said Tuesday, moments after Casey signed a new three-year contract that will keep him in Toronto through 2019. "(Casey) doesn't even know he said it ... instead of celebrating what we're doing -- in his personality he doesn't and I don't either, and I think that's a good thing -- he talked about the things we need to get better at.

"It's getting better, getting better, getting better."

Casey guided the Raptors in their journey from the NBA hinterlands to the Eastern Conference final, and now Ujiri is trusting the coach with the much tougher task of turning Toronto into a championship contender.

That's been their goal since Day 1, and the common thread woven through Casey's five seasons in Toronto has been about developing a culture of winning.

"And coach Casey has been a big leader for us, a great teacher, and a great teammate for us to have in this organization," said Ujiri, who promised last week the deal with Casey would get done "in his sleep."

Ujiri worked quickly to make it happen, and rewarded the coach with a deal reported to be worth US$18 million.

Casey was hired by former Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo after a 2010-11 season that saw Toronto post a 22-60 record.

They missed the playoffs in his first two seasons, but Casey has progressively moulded the team into a tough and defensively responsible unit, and this season, the 59-year-old steered the Raptors to a franchise-record 56 wins and a berth in the conference final.

"We're not there yet," Casey said, repeating one of his favourite mantras.

But the key, the coach said, is consistency. The coaches, management and players all work within the established culture of winning, and all toward a common goal.

"Guys know what to expect every day they come to work, so the continuity of that makes everything. . . not easy, I don't want to use the word easy. But it makes it consistent. . . guys are familiar with each other, they're where they should be in the defensive rotations, offensive rotations, just through continuity. That's important for us."

"I think knowing people and building your culture, continuity is very very important, because you get to know people's tendencies, and trust me, it's not all holding hands and hugs," added Ujiri. "There's so many things. We argue, we disagree. But you walk out and you know you are one team, and no matter how big the disagreement, no matter how it is, and for me, what's the goal?

"The growth ... you don't know where it's going but it looks good, and we feel confident that these guys can continue to take steps and we want to win. We want to win in Toronto."

Casey, whose wife Brenda and young children Justine and Zachary were in attendance Tuesday, said he's part of that growth. The NBA game is changing, and coaches need to evolve with it. Centres, he used as an example, can now shoot. The league, as proven in the post-season, is favouring small ball.

"So I've got to learn how to combat small lineups and defend lineups," Casey said. "There's no coach I've worked with that has all the answers. Once you stop learning, you might as well retire because there is always something new."

The Raptors' historic playoff run was one long 20-game learning experience for Casey and his young squad.

"I learned the pressures of a playoff run, the rhythm of a playoff run, a series, the adjustments you have to make," Casey said. "I learned a lot as far as myself, and the players learned the pressures of playoff basketball.

"No disrespect," he added, addressing reporters, "but you can't read too much in the media (during playoffs) because one day you're the statue, and one day you're the pigeon. You learn that the first time you go through it. The further we got, it was new territory for a lot of our players."

Looking ahead to the off-season, and his continued self-improvement, Casey said the Raptors might bring a European coach to summer league this season, "to pick his brain." And Casey said he'll likely attend the Seattle Seahawks training camp again "to pick coach (Pete) Carroll's mind."

The Raptors' continuity, meanwhile, could be tested next season, as they will have key players DeMar DeRozan and Bismack Biyombo entering free agency next month.

DeRozan, a Raptor for his entire seven-year career, forms half of Toronto's dynamic backcourt along with fellow all-star Kyle Lowry. Congolese big man Biyombo came into his own during the playoffs, filling in admirably for injured starting centre Jonas Valanciunas. With DeRozan expecting to fetch a max contract and Biyombo in line for a huge raise, it's unlikely the Raptors can keep both players.