The Raptors‘ season was on the line as RJ Barrett‘s three-point attempt in the waning seconds of overtime bounced high off the back rim Friday night. A miss would mean playoff elimination, while a make would set up a Game 7 Sunday in Cleveland. The delirium that resulted when the ball fell through the net (Twitter video link) will live on as a defining moment in Toronto basketball history, writes Michael Grange of SportsNet.
“I had a front row to it. I was right there on the block,” Ja’Kobe Walter said. “As soon as I saw the shot go up and I saw it go in the air, it didn’t waver, it kind of just stayed over the basket. I was like, ‘Hold up, that might go in.’”
The Raptors had 10.9 seconds left in OT when they inbounded the ball with a one-point deficit. Scottie Barnes was planning to drive to the basket, but the Cavaliers packed the paint with all five players, forcing him to pass to Barrett, who was three feet behind the three-point line. Barrett said Barnes alerted him to be ready to shoot as they broke the huddle.
“He already told me coming out on the court,” Barrett said, “before we (inbounded) the ball, and he was like ‘I got you, just trust me.’”
Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said he talked to assistant coaches before the game about setting up Barrett for late opportunities, and like everyone else he was trying to will the ball to go in as it hung in the air.
“I know it was a half of a second, but it looked like an eternity over there to be honest with you,” Rajakovic said. “And I was just like hoping for him, for this city, for everybody, for all the players that is gonna drop down. And thank God it did.”
There’s more from Toronto:
- Barrett will be the focus of a huge decision for the Raptors’ front office this summer, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN (Twitter video link). The 25-year-old wing will be eligible for an extension, but giving him a new deal would add to the price of an already-expensive core and make it difficult for the team to avoid the luxury tax. That’s why there has been some trade speculation surrounding Barrett, who is headed into the final year of his contract. Lewenberg adds that Barrett’s strong performance in the playoffs has “definitely been opening some eyes inside of the organization.”
- Brandon Ingram‘s status for Game 7 is uncertain after he sat out Friday’s contest with right heel inflammation. Ingram wore a walking boot during Game 6 (Twitter video link).
- Seventeen-year veteran Garrett Temple has been “invaluable” in helping to develop Toronto’s young talent, general manager Bobby Webster tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Temple saw limited playing time in 22 games this season, but he made a huge contribution behind the scenes and finished fourth in the Teammate of the Year voting. “There is nobody on the team I trust more about the pulse of the team, what I need to watch and what messaging you can help us with, especially in today’s NBA with so many young kids coming in,” Webster said. “He’s been (mentoring) Scottie for a couple years; we have this young kid Collin Murray-Boyles. He’s a huge mentor and invaluable to us.” Temple will turn 40 this month and will be a free agent this summer, but he wants to play one more season and hopes to remain in Toronto.