RJ Barrett's Miracle Shot: An Oral History
RJ Barrett, already the most accomplished Canadian to play for the Toronto Raptors, cemented his legacy as an all-time Raptors legend with a shot that will be remembered forever. In a do-or-die Game 6 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the Raptors trailing 3-2 in the series, Barrett scored 24 points, none more crucial than the final three, forcing a Game 7.
With Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley out, someone had to step up. Veteran Garrett Temple, a player-coach-mentor, had an idea who it would be. "We talked before the series, and specifically before Game 3," Temple told the Toronto Sun. "(Barrett) was like, 'Man, I gotta relax. Calm down. First playoff game at home. This is different.'"
Game 6 reached another level. The Raptors trailed by one with 25.6 seconds left in overtime after a Donovan Mitchell layup and a free throw from Jamal Shead. A Toronto victory seemed unlikely. But Collin Murray-Boyles and A.J. Lawson forced an Evan Mobley turnover, giving the Raptors the ball with 10.9 seconds left.
Scottie Barnes, double-teamed, found Barrett beyond the arc. "Really I was trying to score. They did a good job of stopping me. They brought help. Just trust my teammate," Barnes said. "He already told me coming out on the court, before we passed the ball, and he was like, 'I got you, just trust me.'"
Barrett, from Mississauga, caught and shot over Mobley, last year's Defensive Player of the Year with a 7-foot-4 wingspan. Barrett had missed all six shots in the fourth quarter and overtime, but he released quickly. The ball hit the back rim, soared high, and dropped through the net.
"Call me crazy, call me psychic, but I saw this one coming tonight," said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic. "I was planning plays for end of the game to get RJ in those situations. And it's surreal." He added, "The ball was bouncing, but it looked like an eternity. I was hoping for him, for this city, for everybody, that it would drop down. And thank God it did."
Shead, under the rim, thought about rebounding. "The ball just dropped down. I was like: 'What the heck.' It felt like the ball was in the air for five, six seconds." Barnes said, "Trusted him, seeing that ball bounce up, seeing it bounce up like two times, and please. The way that shot went in, and when we needed it most, he showed up. That's big time."
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson noted, "Sometimes the basketball gods aren't with you." Donovan Mitchell simply said, "Damn."
Barrett himself said, "I knew it was good because it went straight up. If it goes straight up, you've got a chance." He referenced Tyrese Haliburton's similar shot. LeBron James thanked Barrett and the rim for extra days off. Barrett added, "Scottie for making the pass, you know? Him having that trust in me to make that pass at that moment was huge. And then glory be to God, I make nothing the whole fourth quarter, whole of overtime, so for that shot to drop... Yeah."
Temple was emotional: "I'm getting chills talking about it. This your city, bro, and you playing for more than just the Raptors. Toronto. You're playing for Canada. Not everyone can withstand that. But he's one that can."
Ja'Kobe Walter had a front-row seat. "As soon as I saw the shot go up and it stayed over the basket, I was like, 'Hold up, that might go in.'"
Barrett emphasized trusting the work. "I'm willing to live and die on me taking that shot. When you have that confidence, good things will happen. Just happy to be playing for my hometown team. It's gonna be even sweeter when we go get Game 7."
Barrett recalled watching Kawhi Leonard's famous four-bounce shot on the same rim in 2019. "I was in California getting ready for the draft. My friends and I were on the couch watching. Just to be able to now kind of have a shot like that in history. It definitely feels pretty good."
