Heartbreak in Toronto
Barrett's miracle three sends the Cavs home for a Game 7 after a brutal 112-110 loss
The Cavs went into Toronto looking for their first road win of the series and spent most of the night trailing after a solid start. The stops started stacking in the fourth, and the Cavs were able to push back even before a clutch Evan Mobley bucket sent the game into overtime.
Despite leading by one with the ball and 19 seconds left, the Cavs turned it over before R.J. Barrett hit a shot reminiscent of Tyrese Haliburton’s dagger in last year’s semifinals after the ball bounced high off the rim and fell through for a 112-110 Toronto win.
The Cavs were excellent on the offensive glass all game, as numerous different guys were able to create an extra possession at critical times.
Neither team was able to get shots at the rim at a high rate, but the Cavs were tremendous in converting on the looks they did get inside.
Toronto lit it up from three in the first half but came down to Earth in the second half (of course, other than Barrett’s miraculous game-winner). The Cavs, on the other hand, were awful from deep besides Mobley (3-for-7) and Max Strus (2-for-4).
Even with ridiculous offensive rebounding numbers, the Cavs’ half-court offense was abysmal in game six due to horrendous shooting. This was the first time in the series where the Raptors were more efficient in the half-court than the Cavs — and it wasn’t particularly close.
On top of that, the Raptors were yet again great at turning the Cavs over and creating transition opportunities. The Cavs had 13 live-ball turnovers, leading to 19 Raptors points while not creating any transition chances themselves.
His fourth quarter was much better, but Donovan Mitchell’s underwhelming play is without a doubt the main reason this series is still going. Mitchell finished with negative net points for the fourth consecutive game as he finished with more turnovers than assists.
Mobley and Jarrett Allen were great in this one, and that game doesn’t get to overtime without Mobley. He had numerous great defensive positions and a huge three-pointer to go along with the game-tying basket near the end of regulation.
It’s clear Dean Wade needs to return to the starting lineup for game seven. It’s understandable why Strus was inserted (more shooting and playmaking), but the lineup has defended and rebounded so much better with Wade as the fifth.
Sam Merrill didn’t have his best showing in 17 minutes, missing all three of his threes and committing three fouls.
Dennis Schroder followed up his massive game with zero field goals, but he was still able to put pressure on the rim. His blunder at the end of game six will be more remembered than his game five showing if the Cavs don’t pull out the series, though.
It felt like the Cavs were going to pull out a hard-fought win to put Toronto away for good, but some questionable calls (or no-calls), lack of execution when needed most, and a miracle three has extended the series.
Since game three, this series has felt an awful lot like the Magic-Cavs first-round tilt in 2024 — Cavs dominated games one and two at home, the Magic responded with two great games at home, Cavs took a leg up with a close game five win before the Magic evened up with a dominant game six. Let’s hope game seven plays out as it did against Orlando in 2024, or it could be a drastic offseason for the basketball team in Cleveland.