RJ Barrett Downplays Game-Winning Shot Ahead of Game 7 Against Cleveland Cavaliers

RJ Barrett and the Toronto Raptors achieved a stunning 112-110 Game 6 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. The former Duke Blue Devil became a Canadian hero Friday night after a go-ahead three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left that ultimately won the game for the Raptors. The Toronto native supplied 24 points and nine rebounds in the win to send his hometown team to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. 

While the incredible shot gave a thrill like no other for Raptors fans, the buildup to the moment was difficult to watch. The Raptors scored just 12 points on 4-for-16 shooting in the fourth quarter, blowing an 11-point lead to start the final period. The team has struggled to produce consistent fourth-quarter offense throughout the entirety of the season, and playing without two-time All-Star Brandon Ingram did not help their case. 

With the Raptors’ regular-season leading scorer listed as doubtful for Game 7, it’s important for the team to continue to step up offensively in his absence. Just four players for Toronto accounted for 90 of the total 112 points, and it may take another balanced attack to overcome the Cavaliers in their home building for the first time. 

Going into the most important game of the season thus far, Barrett described the team’s need to move on from the special moment two days ago. 

“Not to take anything away from the shot, very thankful, it was a great shot, I was really happy in the moment, but we’ve gotta move on,” said Barrett. “Gotta win tonight. The shot doesn’t really mean much if we don’t get the job done here tonight.”

This mentality is important for a veteran with some of the most playoff experience on the team. The aspect of this series that many wanted to talk about before it started was the sizable gap in experience. 11-time All-Star James Harden and seven-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell combine for far more total playoff games than the entire Raptors’ roster, but Toronto has proved that stellar defense can outweigh even the best ball-handlers in the league. 

If the Raptors want to win their first playoff series since the Bubble in 2020, they need to make their mark on offense. They need to get significant contributions that lead to baskets from players outside of just Barrett and Scottie Barnes, something that hasn’t been a guarantee night-to-night. 

Standout rookie lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles has delivered the most aggression of the season throughout the series, and second-year guard Ja’Kobe Walter has regained his smooth stroke from the three-point line in the last two games. Add in 10-12 points from Jamal Shead, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Jakob Poeltl, and this team could be right on its way to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.