RJ Barrett's Miracle Shot Forces Game 7 for Raptors

Sometimes the basketball just has to bounce your way, and on Friday night in Toronto, it bounced seven feet high before falling through the net to keep a season alive.

Down 110-109 with 10.9 seconds left in Game 6, the Raptors faced elimination against the Cleveland Cavaliers at home. RJ Barrett inbounded to Scottie Barnes, who drove to the free throw line before kicking it back to Barrett at the top of the key.

Barrett launched a 3-pointer that hit the back rim and rocketed nearly seven feet into the air. For half a second that felt like an eternity, 19,000 fans held their breath as the ball hung in the Toronto sky before finally dropping through to give the Raptors a 112-110 lead with 1.2 seconds remaining.

Cleveland's Evan Mobley had one last chance, but his 3-pointer bounced off the rim as time expired. The Raptors survived to force Game 7.

"I thought it was still good because it went straight up," Barrett said after the game. "When it goes straight up, you have a chance."

Coach Darko Rajakovic saw it differently. "It was only half a second, but it felt like an eternity," he said. "I was happy for him, for this team, for this city, that the shot went down."

Why This Inspires

For Raptors fans, the friendly bounce brought back memories of Kawhi Leonard's four-bounce buzzer beater against Philadelphia in the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals. That shot propelled Toronto to their first NBA championship.

While this moment came in the first round rather than the conference finals, it reminded a basketball-loving city why they keep showing up. Sometimes the ball bounces your way. Sometimes hope gets rewarded with just enough magic to live another day.

Cleveland's Kenny Atkinson summed it up perfectly: "Sometimes the basketball gods aren't with you." But for one night in Toronto, they absolutely were.

Now both teams head to Cleveland for Sunday's Game 7, where the Cavaliers will try to protect home court and the Raptors will try to extend their magical run.