Raptors film room: RJ Barrett’s heroics sends them to Game 7

Here is Samson’s write-up:

The Cavaliers best player by some measure in the series, Harden, was bothered immensely by the incessant, bully-ish pressing from Murray-Boyles. At the 3-minute mark of the 3rd quarter the Raptors had scored 21 field goals inside the paint, and the bully-ball-trio of Barnes/Barrett/CMB had provided 17 of those makes.

The 4th quarter was a slog. A slow, painful crawl back into things from the Cavaliers. Pained, labored offensive possessions from the Raptors until the lead eventually trickled down to 1 point with 3 minutes left – where the Raptors called a timeout. Perhaps to come up with a plan, but moreso, I think, to give Barnes a breather as he looked like he was at the end of his rope in terms of energy. Barnes didn’t recover. No Brandon Ingram available, no Immanuel Quickley, just the fellas, a short bench, and digging deep to win it. Win a 3-minute stretch and make your way back to Cleveland, or the death.

Walter and Mobley exchanged triples. A minute and 20 seconds had gone, and the margin didn’t change. A slick up and under from Barnes — after running through 3 different screening partners searching for an advantage — sent him to the line where he’d split the pair. Both teams exchanged misses and scrappy chase downs until the clock trickled to 15 seconds, with the Cavs in possession of it, and down 2.

“If ever we needed you Toronto, it’s now!” Herbie Kuhn’s voice blared out as the Raptors faithful chanted “DEFENSE” at the top of their lungs. The Raptors stunted the Cavs initial play, forcing a timeout and another run at things.

It was a Mobley catch in the deep corner, a drive, with long, loping steps and a finish at the mountaintop over CMB. It took the Cavaliers 4 seconds to tie the game. The Raptors had 11 seconds to win it, and they didn’t. It was a scrappy screening play between Barnes & Shead where the Raptors star had trouble negotiating the middle ground of the Cavaliers attention, and threw a pass to Shead that forced up a bit of an off balance heave that caught the rim twice, but danced off.

Overtime.

The final 5 minutes were a crawl through the mud. Both teams were toggling through screening partners, trying desperately to carve out some sort of advantage, some sort of good look, but they both mostly settled for tough makes. Neither side poured it in. Grimy, grindy buckets. The Raptors were trying desperately to disguise the fact that Barnes’ energy levels appeared to be lower than zero. He’d been the best player in the series, and they couldn’t ask him to close it out with the vigor of his shot making from earlier in the game. Shead had two free throws to tie the game after worming loose against Allen – he split the pair.

The lefties teamed up again. CMB assaulted Mobley for a steal.

With the Raptors, looking their death in the face, RJ Barrett reached back for a triple that bounced once off the back rim, touched heaven, then floated back into bucket, for the win.