Udonis Haslem picks Raptors over Cavs: ‘This team has outworked you’

To an individual, the NBA on Prime studio crew picked the Cavs to beat the Raptors in Sunday’s Game 7.

Dirk Nowitzki? Cavs. Blake Griffin? Cavs. Taylor Rooks? Cavs. Steve Nash? Also Cavs, adding that he’s only doing so because Toronto is banged up.

But Udonis Haslem? He’s going with the Raptors on the road all the way.

”I’m going with the team that has played harder, I’m going with the team that deserves to win this series,” he said. 

Haslem then added that “I have a message” for the Cavs.

”The gift is nothing without the work,” he said, repeating the phrase. “The gift is nothing without the work, Cleveland Cavaliers.

”This team has outworked you. This should’ve been 4-1, 4-2. So now you got a Game 7 with a team that has confidence. … You see the power and connection in (the Raptors’) locker room? I’m going with them.”

Haslem isn’t alone in his thoughts. The Cavs have taken flak from a lot of the media both locally and nationally, including Charles Barkley. 

On paper, they’re clearly the better team — especially with the Raptors down starters Brandon Ingram (for Game 6) and Immanuel Quickley (the entire series).

That, of course, has meant zilch.

So the Cavs have one game to prove that they’re the team they say they are. Haslem doesn’t think they will.

Game 7 is Sunday at Rocket Arena (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock).