By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
RJ Barrett etched his name into Toronto Raptors basketball lore on Friday night, burying a dramatic, high-bouncing 29-foot three-pointer with just 1.2 seconds remaining in overtime to secure a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The improbable shot pushed the best-of-seven series in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, to a decisive Game 7. Cleveland had one final opportunity to steal the win and the series, but Evan Mobley’s three-point attempt bounced off the front of the rim as time expired.
The gravity of the moment was not lost on Serbian head coach Darko Rajakovic, who revealed after the game that he had a premonition about his star forward. “A huge moment. Call me crazy, call my physic, but I saw this one coming tonight. I was talking to my assistant coaches before the game, planning plays for the end of the game to get RJ in those situations, and it’s surreal that he made that shot. The way that shot went down. It’s really awesome. I’m really happy for RJ, and I’m really happy that he brought this win to Toronto,” he mentioned during his postgame press conference.
For the 47-year-old native of Cacak, the final moments of the Toronto native’s shot felt suspended in time. “I know it was half of a second, but it looked like eternity to be honest,” he added, reflecting on the go-ahead bucket that saved the Raptors‘ season.
The two teams will now travel back to Cleveland’s Rocket Arena for Game 7 on Sunday.
NBA Playoffs 2026
Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
1. Detroit Pistons – Orlando Magic 3-3 (101-112, 98-83, 105-113, 88-94, 116-109, 93-79)
2. Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 3-3 (126-113, 115-105, 104-126, 89-93, 125-120, 110-112)
3. New York Knicks – Atlanta Hawks 4-2 (113-102, 106-107, 108-109, 114-98, 126-97, 140-89)
4. Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers 3-3 (123-91, 97-111, 108-100, 128-96, 97-113, 93-106)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
5. Winners 1-2
6. New York Knicks – Winner 4
Finals (best-of-seven)
Winners of Semifinals
Western Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
1. Oklahoma City Thunder – Phoenix Suns 4-0 (119-84, 120-107, 121-109, 131-122)
2. Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets 3-2 (107-98, 101-94, 112-108, 96-115, 93-99)
3. Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves 2-4 (126-115, 114-119, 96-113, 96-112, 125-113, 98-110)
4. San Antonio Spurs – Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 (111-98, 103-106, 120-108, 114-93, 114-95)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
5. Oklahoma City Thunder – Winner 2
6. San Antonio Spurs – Minnesota Timberwolves
Finals (best-of-seven)
Winners of Semifinals
NBA Finals 2026 (best-of-seven)
Eastern Conference and Western Conference champions
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