The Toronto Raptors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in a thrilling Game 6 victory.
The Toronto Raptors entered Game 6 on their home floor looking to force a Game 7 in Cleveland. The Cleveland Cavaliers jumped out to a 2-0 series lead before Toronto took Games 3 and 4 at home, followed by an answer from Cleveland in Game 5. That set us up for Friday night in Toronto, which projected to be an exciting contest, and it certainly lived up to the hype.
With one of the best fan bases in basketball behind them, the Raptors controlled the game most of the way before Cleveland started to shift the momentum in the final quarter. It then became a back-and-forth affair, with each possession getting increasingly important. When Jamal Shead went to the free-throw line in the final minute with a chance to tie the game and split a pair, it looked as if Toronto may be in trouble.
But the Raptors forced a huge turnover, as they have been able to do at other critical points in this series, which set up one of the most exciting shots in recent franchise history for Toronto. Taking a straight-on three, RJ Barrett hit the back of the rim and saw the ball pop straight up in the air before falling down through the net.
While the stakes were much different, there were shades of Kawhi Leonard’s Game 7 shot in 2019 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. It didn’t bounce as many times on the rim as that shot did, but the suspense was similar.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković started by saying, “First of all, glory to God. That was a fun one, right?”
On this game, he added, “We just talked about how fun this is — how much we love the challenge that’s ahead of us, how much we love to fight through it. It was about finding the last bit of energy to go out there, to compete, to give everything we had, and to really dig in. I’m really proud of the guys and what they brought on the court. It was a heck of a fight.”
Barrett’s shot was of course the story of the game. When asked about it, Rajaković said he actually predicted a special moment for the Raptors star in this game.
“Huge moment,” he said. “Call me crazy, call me psychic, but I saw this one coming tonight. I was talking to the assistant coaches before the game, and we were planning ATO plays for the end of the game to get RJ in those situations. It’s surreal, you know, the way he took that shot and how it went down. I’m really happy for RJ, and really happy that he brought this one to Toronto.”
While there’s a lot to be excited about for Toronto after this win, the job is far from finished. They now have to go win a decisive Game 7 on the road, where Cleveland has been very tough to beat. That said, the momentum is now on their side in this series, which can’t be overstated.