Samson Folk & Trevon Heath talk about Game 6.

From Samson’s piece:

“If ever we needed you Toronto, it’s now!” Herbie Kuhn’s voice blared out as the Raptors faithful chanted “DEFENSE” at the top of their lungs. The Raptors stunted the Cavs initial play, forcing a timeout and another run at things.

It was a Mobley catch in the deep corner, a drive, with long, loping steps and a finish at the mountaintop over CMB. It took the Cavaliers 4 seconds to tie the game. The Raptors had 11 seconds to win it, and they didn’t. It was a scrappy screening play between Barnes & Shead where the Raptors star had trouble negotiating the middle ground of the Cavaliers attention, and threw a pass to Shead that forced up a bit of an off balance heave that caught the rim twice, but danced off.

Overtime.

The final 5 minutes were a crawl through the mud. Both teams were toggling through screening partners, trying desperately to carve out some sort of advantage, some sort of good look, but they both mostly settled for tough makes. Neither side poured it in. Grimy, grindy buckets. The Raptors were trying desperately to disguise the fact that Barnes’ energy levels appeared to be lower than zero. He’d been the best player in the series, and they couldn’t ask him to close it out with the vigor of his shot making from earlier in the game. Shead had two free throws to tie the game after worming loose against Allen – he split the pair.

The lefties teamed up again. CMB assaulted Mobley for a steal.

With the Raptors, looking their death in the face, RJ Barrett reached back for a triple that bounced once off the back rim, touched heaven, then floated back into bucket, for the win.”

Have a blessed day.

The post RJ HITS GAME WINNER – SCOTTIE BALLS OUT – RAPTORS WIN GAME 6 – PULL UP TRE first appeared on Raptors Republic.

“We know what’s coming.” Kenny Atkinson told me before the game. It was part of a longer answer about how the Raptors have crowded the nail, but it hit at the heart of what the Raptors have done defensively over the course of the series. For a few games now, things have looked very similar, and tenacious, and they ask the Cavaliers to beat it.

The Cavaliers early diagnosis and action was to keep Harden away from the play on offense and to allow Donovan Mitchell + the other Cavaliers to play out of 4-on-4 situations more often. A bit more space for the bigs, a bit more space for Mitchell with Scottie Barnes away from most plays. That’s why the Cavaliers did it, of course, to keep Barnes away from mucking everything up. A decent gambit in the opening, and something they could go away from when Barnes exited the game. Plans within plans, and the like.

“We gotta hit singles. Sometimes turnovers happen cause we’re trying to hit the home run, to make the hard play. We have to make the simple play first, and then it’s the next play and then we can attack.” Coach Atkinson told me.

On the other side, the Raptors kept running their flow offense between RJ Barrett & Barnes. Run screens, run handoffs, tell everyone with a pulse to emulate a shooter, if they could. In the early going? They did great. A 4/8 opening from downtown is worth a lot to these Raptors, but not worth more than what the Cavaliers were creating, even as Barnes was dueling away (fastest gun in the west, erm east) and sniping from the mid range. A huge difference, at least to my eye, was how the Cavaliers looked decidedly less rushed on offense. The Raptors were still forcing turnovers, and well done to them, but the frenzied nature of the defense and the glazed over eyes of the Cavaliers weren’t manifesting the same as they had in the past.

The lineup that tied things up before the first quarter ended, and generally put a stop to what the Cavs had going on offense, was Barnes-Barrett-CMB-Shead-Walter. No Harden on the floor, Barnes blanketing Mitchell, and CMB a circling bird of prey for every other action – they turned the water off. They also managed to force the Cavaliers into turnovers for runouts, and scored in the halfcourt on top of that.

Just as a note, it’s been really fun to watch a Raptors team where Barnes-Barrett-CMB are the leading men, the 3 best players. It makes for a smash mouth team that’s incredibly easy to root for.

“Grit. Who wants the ball more? Who is more desperate in the game?” Coach Darko told me the bare bones of how the Raptors can continue to hang in defensively against the talented Cavaliers. “We’re playing in front of our home crowd, we’ve gotten great support throughout the year. We’re really excited about the opportunity we have. It has to be who wants it more? Who is gonna hit first? Who is gonna get up for a rebound? Who is gonna keep the 50/50 balls alive? We have to be that team tonight.”

To open the second quarter, Barnes put his foot on the gas. In these playoffs he’s been such a rare blend of defensive stopper (in any way you can really imagine) and offensive initiator. It’s allowed for a level of control that very few players exhibit on a game. It’s vaulted him to, unquestionably, one of the best players in these playoffs, and it vaulted the Raptors into a 7-point lead. Sky scraping dunks, blocks at the rim, deny defense, vicious roaming defensive stoppages, and svelte, smooth playmaking. Special stuff from the Raptors star.

Barnes’ reputation is that of a player who would like to pass first, which is true, and of someone who lets waves of passivity creep into his game, which is true to some extent. In this series, but especially in the second quarter, he was running through 3 screens a possession to pursue the basketball and try to create. It was brash, nitros fuelled offensive work. He had turned the dial up by some measure and pushed, pushed, pushed past limits that no longer belonged to him. His coach, Darko Rajakovic, was pressing the “minutes, minutes, more minutes” button for his star as well. Seeing the unbridled gumption his star was playing with and asking for the total payload. Flanked by a cool, easy scoring Star-J, a hot-from-downtown Walter, and a Raptors defense that upped the ante defensively, Barnes and the Raptors went into half time with a 10-point lead.

Gas pedals remained pressed to open the third quarter. The Raptors, with no pretense of happy-to-be-here, no ho-hum pluckiness, they charged forward. The two lefties, Murray-Boyles and Barrett impressed their strength upon the game in an undeniable way. Both heard their names chanted by the crowd, both wrestled their way to success. A remarkable, and undeniable wrinkle of these Raptors – they will win the battle of wills, and they’re just as likely to win the battle of muscles. The Cavaliers best player by some measure in the series, Harden, was bothered immensely by the incessant, bully-ish pressing from Murray-Boyles. At the 3-minute mark of the 3rd quarter the Raptors had scored 21 field goals inside the paint, and the bully-ball-trio of Barnes/Barrett/CMB had provided 17 of those makes.

The 4th quarter was a slog. A slow, painful crawl back into things from the Cavaliers. Pained, labored offensive possessions from the Raptors until the lead eventually trickled down to 1 point with 3 minutes left – where the Raptors called a timeout. Perhaps to come up with a plan, but moreso, I think, to give Barnes a breather as he looked like he was at the end of his rope in terms of energy. Barnes didn’t recover. No Brandon Ingram available, no Immanuel Quickley, just the fellas, a short bench, and digging deep to win it. Win a 3-minute stretch and make your way back to Cleveland, or the death.

Walter and Mobley exchanged triples. A minute and 20 seconds had gone, and the margin didn’t change. A slick up and under from Barnes — after running through 3 different screening partners searching for an advantage — sent him to the line where he’d split the pair. Both teams exchanged misses and scrappy chase downs until the clock trickled to 15 seconds, with the Cavs in possession of it, and down 2.

“If ever we needed you Toronto, it’s now!” Herbie Kuhn’s voice blared out as the Raptors faithful chanted “DEFENSE” at the top of their lungs. The Raptors stunted the Cavs initial play, forcing a timeout and another run at things.

It was a Mobley catch in the deep corner, a drive, with long, loping steps and a finish at the mountaintop over CMB. It took the Cavaliers 4 seconds to tie the game. The Raptors had 11 seconds to win it, and they didn’t. It was a scrappy screening play between Barnes & Shead where the Raptors star had trouble negotiating the middle ground of the Cavaliers attention, and threw a pass to Shead that forced up a bit of an off balance heave that caught the rim twice, but danced off.

Overtime.

The final 5 minutes were a crawl through the mud. Both teams were toggling through screening partners, trying desperately to carve out some sort of advantage, some sort of good look, but they both mostly settled for tough makes. Neither side poured it in. Grimy, grindy buckets. The Raptors were trying desperately to disguise the fact that Barnes’ energy levels appeared to be lower than zero. He’d been the best player in the series, and they couldn’t ask him to close it out with the vigor of his shot making from earlier in the game. Shead had two free throws to tie the game after worming loose against Allen – he split the pair.

The lefties teamed up again. CMB assaulted Mobley for a steal.

With the Raptors, looking their death in the face, RJ Barrett reached back for a triple that bounced once off the back rim, touched heaven, then floated back into bucket, for the win.

Absolute madness.

Back to Cleveland for 7.

Have a blessed day.

The post RJ Barrett touches heaven with game winner while Scottie Barnes ascends into superstardom in Game 6 win first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Cleveland Cavaliers

110

Final

112

Toronto Raptors

C+	J. Poeltl22 MIN, 2 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 1-3 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- After his best showing of these playoffs in Game 5, Poeltl was back to being a step slow, and had difficultly recovering to Cleveland’s bigs down low. The prospect of Poeltl entering the series in a meaningful way seemed immensely promising for the Raptors. But it just wasn’t there for the most part in this game. His makes were served up on a platter by Barnes, and while he improved as the game moved along, acting as a stout presence in the lane and making smart connective passes at times, the true punch needed from Poeltl wasn’t there.
A	S. Barnes48 MIN, 25 PTS, 7 REB, 14 AST, 3 STL, 11-21 FG, 0-2 3FG, 3-4 FT, 3 BLK, 3 TO, 2 +/- Was passive out of the gate, but the middy was going down – he made three in the first after starting off with a dunk on a baseline cut. Then eventually got the rim assault rolling with a classic look-off dime to CMB in the dunker. Hard to tell for sure if he was still limited from the sledgehammer of a Jarrett Allen knee he took to his quad in Game 5, but at times his burst and second jump appeared impeded to my eye. Then he sprinted out in transition, spun, and tried to rip down the rim to change my mind. Blocked Harden right after too for good measure. Barnes had 14 points and 10 assists at half, joining rare playoff company and accounting for 39 of Toronto’s 61 first-half points. Elite, elite stuff. Started to run out of gas as the second half wore on and made mistakes as a result. Still made a couple big buckets in a barren fourth quarter and a crucial touch-shot in overtime. He was three seconds short of playing 48 minutes.
A+	R. Barrett43 MIN, 24 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 8-21 FG, 4-12 3FG, 4-5 FT, 0 BLK, 5 TO, 9 +/- A miracle. Fronted Allen in the post to grab a steal then bulldozed to a transition bucket the other way. Barrett’s indominable will has him playing maybe the best basketball of his career. His passion is palpable. He keeps banging uncharacteristically tough 3s throughout this series. It’s as if he’s willing them through the rim. Was charged for his third foul midway through the second when Thomas Bryant ran into him in the open court. His bruising, bully drives have been the lifeblood of the Raptors’ offence. The perpetual, unrelenting churn. A runaway freight train. The hometown kid’s tough as nails. Then of course he willed in one last three that bounced off the rim, hung in the air for an eternity and fell back down true. Can’t write this shit.
A+	J. Walter43 MIN, 24 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST, 3 STL, 7-13 FG, 4-9 3FG, 6-6 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -6 +/- Jumped on Max Strus bringing the ball up the wing for a steal, then grabbed an errant Jaylon Tyson pass to help grease the wheels of Toronto’s oh-so-important transition game. Drove baseline off a closeout and made a nice reverse. Of course, making 3s is the most important aspect of Walter’s offensive game, and he’s back to dropping them in like it’s nothing. Flew in for a huge board and then finished at the other end to keep the Cavs at bay in the clutch. Then he drilled his fourth triple of the game to give the Raptors further cushion – a four-point lead – in the final two minutes.
B	S. Mamukelashvili14 MIN, 2 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 4 +/- Didn’t play a ton but was an active part of Toronto’s swarming defence that scrambled the Cavs in the second quarter on a couple occasions and started to swing the game in the Raptors’ favour. Then fit into that same ethos in the third. Made smart plays with the ball –driving and dropping off to CMB for points. Quiet, understated game, but did the little things right.
A-	A. Lawson10 MIN, 6 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-3 FG, 2-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -1 +/- Came into the game in the third quarter after hardly playing over the last three and banged a triple. Brampton’s finest. Then banged another to a big crowd pop. Good vibes Lawson. Got torched less than Battle but fouled more.
A-	J. Shead33 MIN, 7 PTS, 1 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 2-9 FG, 2-7 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 6 +/- Fought to keep Harden in front. Also settled for a couple undesirable shots in the first quarter – an early clock 3 and a floater from the free throw line. Started to make better decisions with the ball – the primary tenant of Shead’s success – and take the shots he did in rhythm. When his 3s are going in, that’s just gravy. Of course, they eventually stopped falling. Ran back hard to successfully contest Jarrett Allen in alone in transition. Heart of a lion. His work containing Harden and Mitchell was sublime.
B-	J. Battle11 MIN, 5 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-4 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -6 +/- Banged his first triple in transition as one of the first subs off the bench. Held up on the perimeter at times but also was shredded into mincemeat by Harden on a couple occasions. Took a closeout off the dribble and dropped in a runner. The Cavs have taken to running him off the line and he ultimately bled more than he contributed.
A	C. Murray-Boyles40 MIN, 17 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 6-10 FG, 0-0 3FG, 5-6 FT, 3 BLK, 4 TO, 2 +/- Entered the game and made his presence felt, punching a powerful one-handed slam. Harden faced him up and didn’t get squat. The finishing was reliable, the free throws went in and he was the thread that bound together the Raptors’ defensive string. Murray-Boyles preternatural basketball sense and physical attributes are invaluable. His resolve and problem solving as a 20-year-old rookie has been unbelievable. Not to mention how he’s taken Allen and Mobley’s lunch. Ducked in and around Cavs in the lane for a finesse finish then emphatically swatted a Tyson 3. What more can we say Collin Magneto-Boulder. Other than that he used his powers to construct a metal prison around Donovan Mitchell.
A	Darko Rajakovic Darko has seemed so composed throughout this playoff run considering it’s his first as a head coach. Zulfi put it best in his recent piece: “Spoken like a coach who’s been in this situation many times before, even if he hasn’t.” He’s run the right pet actions, pulled the right levers, and outfoxed reigning Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson. The Cavaliers are yet to find a true answer to the Raptors unorthodox pick n’ roll coverages and help principles. Recall Michael Grange writing that feature on Darko and “Inat” when he was first hired. That concept embodies this team perfectly.

Your next read: The Raptors are doubling down on their strengths, by me!

Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles – Toronto’s only two top-10 picks in the last nine seasons – might seem ill-fitting at first blush. Modern NBA offence can feel so dependent on shooting and spacing. Both have shown glimpses of floor-stretching this season, Murray-Boyles to start the season and Barnes in the playoffs, but neither has proven they can shoot the ball well for a reliable sample.  

If those doubts hadn’t been silenced already, the Raptors’ first-round series against the Cavs have put them to bed.  

The post Quick Reaction: Cavaliers 110, Raptors 112 first appeared on Raptors Republic.

“I don’t worry about these young guys, they have the right mindset, they put in the work, they’re some dogs, they’re hard playing,” said Barrett about the younger players on the Raptors. “They wanna win, so I never worry about those guys at all; they keep getting better every day,” is what Barrett concluded when asked about Toronto’s younger players.

Should Ingram miss tonight, someone will have to step up into the starting lineup, and that might potentially open up some rotation minutes for guys like A.J. Lawson, who featured early in the series but hasn’t played any significant minutes since game two, or potentially Gradey Dick, who’s only gotten three minutes of garbage time in total so far this series.

Ja’Kobe Walter has had an up-and-down series when it comes to the offensive side and is coming off a 20-point outing in game 5, where he shot 6 of 14 from three-point land. He’s been phenomenal defensively all series long, and so has Jamal Shead, who is also coming off an impressive game five performance of 18 points and 7 assists.

Jamison Battle saw the most minutes of the series for himself in game 5, playing 18 minutes and contributing 7 points and 6 rebounds, while Collin Murray-Boyles wasn’t as effective as usual with 8 points and 5 rebounds but still was solid defensively.

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Brandon Ingram has been downgraded from questionable to doubtful after leaving Game 5 with right heel inflammation. Ingram exited midway through the second quarter of Wednesday’s 125–120 loss and was unable to return for the remainder of the game. Before exiting, BI was struggling once again, only being able to record one point, one rebound, and two assists in 11 minutes of action.

The issue with his heel has been reported as lingering. Ingram has been dealing with heel inflammation since late March, a stretch that already forced him to miss time against the Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, and Sacramento Kings. Now, with the season on the line, Toronto could be without him again, on top of already losing out on another starter, Immanuel Quickley, who was ruled out at the start of the series with a hamstring injury.

It has been a tough matchup for Ingram, regardless. Through the first five games of the series, he is averaging just 12.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting just 32.8 percent from the field.

For Toronto, it will not just be dire news ahead of Game 6. Scottie Barnes is expected to play despite taking a knock in Game 5. He has been Toronto’s best player in the series and arguably the best in the series as a whole, averaging 24.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game.

The tip-off is set for 7:30 PM ET Friday night at Scotiabank Arena. The home team, up to this point in the series, has yet to lose.

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The post Brandon Ingram doubtful for Raptors-Cavaliers Game 6 first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The expansion franchise has already made plenty of history — like Hamilton, Ont. native Kia Nurse scoring the first points in franchise history — on its path to the 2026 WNBA regular season. And if Wednesday’s sellout exhibition-opener was any indication, there are more milestone moments ahead.

All of which will be navigated at a breakneck pace as Opening Night on the league’s 30th anniversary rapidly approaches, following a truncated off-season. Even more precarious for Toronto and Portland, who had to manoeuvre building their rosters from scratch.

And in the time since both franchises said hello to their first players, the goodbyes have already begun. The Tempo made their first cuts of training camp on Thursday and will have to trim what’s currently a group of 16 players to just 12 (plus two developmental spots).

While that leaves uncertainty about what head coach Sandy Brondello’s squad will look like come the Tempo’s season opener on May 8, there have been tidbits of insight into what fans can expect from Canada’s first WNBA team.

Early expectations

When Brondello, a two-time champion, left the New York Liberty to helm the expansion Tempo, there was a sense that the team might not slow-play its ascent towards competitive relevance.

That she’s never missed the playoffs as a bench boss, playing a role in that noise. But Brondello has not been shy about setting the record straight that “we are an expansion team, so we have realistic expectations there.”

While it’s true that head coach Natalie Nakase led the Golden State Valkyries to the playoffs in their inaugural season last year, the feat serves as the exception, not the norm — the first WNBA expansion squad to make the post-season in Year 1.

Based on the league’s current 44-game scale, expansion teams have averaged approximately 10.6 wins (.240) in their first seasons.

Hence why Brondello’s been more focused on short-term achievements.

“Win the day,” the Tempo head coach said after practice last week. “Don’t take too many steps backwards … with time, what kind of team can we look like?”

Identifying an identity

While there’s no pressure on climbing the standings right away, Brondello has prioritized her “expectations” of establishing a culture, and that it needs to be player-led.

“They have to decide, what do we want to be known for?” she explained.

And it took little probing to learn that the Tempo plan to hang their hat on “defence.”

“You’re going to need (defence) to win championships,” Brittney Sykes said. “Now that we’re here with the Tempo, we’re (focused on) defence. We know what we can do offensively; it’s defensively that, if we’re having a bad night (offensively), teams cannot score. That has to be the goal, and that’s what we’re taking as our identity.”

While Sykes, a two-time steals champ and four-time all-defence member, wasn’t on the court Wednesday, the Tempo managed to demonstrate their potential as a defensive unit. Toronto forced Connecticut into 26 turnovers, 14 of which came off steals. Players stepped into gaps, dug in on drives and rolls, and routinely fronted on post-entry looks to generate copious deflections. And if that sounds familiar, that’s because it is.

“If you saw the Raptors … we want to be a great defensive team like that,” Brondello told reporters at media day. “How connected they were, how hard they competed.”

The similarities to Toronto’s other basketball team don’t stop there.

While Brondello is focused on running a five-out offence, the spacing-centric scheme follows similar principles to Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic’s “0.5” style. Her version uses the “three-second rule” to motivate ball movement and continuous motion while playing outside-in.

“You see the versatility of our players,” Brondello said. “We call them basketball players, they’re not just (one position) … I think that’s so important here.”

Although the Aussie bench boss mentioned her team will need time to gel to execute their offence consistently, she did want to remind folks that “my record speaks for itself.”

And Brondello has a point. Her teams have boasted a top-five offence in eight of her 12 years as a head coach — including the WNBA’s No. 1 scoring attack on two occasions. When she took over the Phoenix Mercury in 2014, she helped them go from fourth to first; granted, that group included DeWanna Bonner, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi. In her first season with New York (2022), the Liberty owned the fourth-lowest offensive rating, but catapulted to No. 2 by the next year.

Million-dollar matriarchs

To call Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes (A.K.A. Slim) joining forces in Toronto a full-circle moment would be quite the understatement.

The duo of New Jersey natives have been around each other since their early teens and “were in the trenches together,” according to Mabrey, reflecting not only on their many workouts together growing up, but also their many encounters as opponents in the WNBA.

Now, the pair form the league’s first-ever seven-figure backcourt after both were signed to two-year max contracts. And Brondello has been vocal about Sykes and Mabrey being viewed as leaders, along with being cornerstone players.

While there is certainly an added weight that comes with increased roles and salaries, neither seems phased by the spotlight.

“Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics head coach) says ‘pressure is a privilege,’ and I think it’s the truth,” Sykes explained. “This is something that, ultimately, we want. We’ve been chasing after it … to be in this position.”

Mabrey echoed those sentiments, acknowledging that she’s excited to “unlock” her abilities in a leadership role: “I think what makes good players great is making other people better, and I think that’s something I want to tap into here in Toronto.”

Sykes and Mabrey have said they take turns as the vocal leader and the lead-by-example veteran during practice, trading places when necessary. That level of cohesion and balance will certainly be needed on the court as well. And although neither led any of their previous teams in scoring for a full season, the starting backcourt appears up to the task.

“Both of us, we’re underdogs,” Mabrey said. “So, having the Tempo take a chance on both of us, knowing what we bring to the table, and the players we are … I wouldn’t call it a weight, I would say responsibility, and also a privilege … we’re going to try to bring the team up as much as we can.”

Fan frenzy

Although much will change between now and the end of the Tempo’s first season, one thing the organization hopes will remain the same is the fan support.

With over 8,000 fans at the Coca-Cola Coliseum on Wednesday, the building was rocking from opening tip to the final horn. An atmosphere buzzing with “energy” that was “really tangible,” as Maddy Lagasca, who attended the pre-season opener with a friend she grew up playing basketball with, explained.

“(The Tempo) went on a run to finish the second quarter, and the crowd gave them a standing ovation into the locker room … it made me so happy to see so many women and girls supporting the team.”

It’s safe to say those feelings weren’t uncommon, as Natasha Cyrille, who was also in attendance on Wednesday, noted: “It’s clear there’s an appetite for professional women’s sports in Canada … the essence of sport is to bring people together … and I think we’re seeing that already with the Tempo.”

The magnitude of the moment has not been lost on the players either, namely Nurse, who’s confident this season — and those to come — will have a lasting impact on sport in this country.

“I think in 10 to 15 years, you’re going to look back and see all these young women who are on the national team, and when you have a conversation with them about where their love for basketball, their influence comes, they’ll be Tempo kids.

“That is where the massive influence I think this franchise will have in women’s sports … You’ll be able to field an entire Olympic roster from WNBA players (in the future) because these will be Tempo-influenced players … it’s not going anywhere, and it’s going to create such a massive influx of talent and desire for basketball.”

Bonus takeaways

Welcome to the W: It was always a matter of when and not if Kiki Rice and Teonni Key would have their “welcome to the league” moment. And it’s likely both rookies hope Wednesday meant that milestone is over with after neither got going in their pro debuts. While Rice, the No. 6 pick and first in franchise history, looked more comfortable as the game progressed, dealing with the “pace and physicality” of the WNBA, as she described, will take time. The UCLA product finished with five points on 2-of-5 shooting, with two assists, a steal and three turnovers.

Meanwhile, Key had the unenviable task of trying to keep Griner in check and fouled out after 17 scoreless minutes. The forward did show craft as a screener and even stepped up to force a stop along the perimeter.

International intrigue: While the Tempo plan to be “Canada’s team,” as president Teresa Resrch has pointed out, they will also appeal to fanbases across multiple borders. The team added seven players in its initial expansion draft, and although not all will stick around, there are a couple who could end up making a notable impact.

Brondello has already said Julie Allemand, the Tempo’s first expansion-draft pick, will have a significant role this season. The Belgian could form a three-guard pairing with Mabrey and Sykes, right on the heels of winning EuroLeague final six MVP. There’s also Maria Conde, whom assistant GM Eli Horowitz described as “one of the best players in all of Europe who’s never been in the WNBA.” Brondello said the Spaniard is “ready” to make the jump and referred to her as a “big wing” who is “very versatile.”

Look out for Lexi: A player who certainly stood out in the Tempo’s pre-season opener was Lexi Held, who finished with a team-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, five made triples, two assists, two steals and a block in 21 minutes of action. After a training-camp stint with the Sky in 2022, the guard spent two years playing overseas before making her WNBA debut with the Phoenix Mercury last season. She averaged 5.3 points in just under 15 minutes a game through 32 appearances, but if she can continue to flash the two-way prowess seen on Wednesday, a larger opportunity may be in store.

The post Tempo Takeaways: Identity shaping, fandom in full effect first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Driving the 15-foot monstrosity seemed to be a daunting proposition at first. I’d never driven a vehicle so large. The first couple hundred meters moved at a snail’s pace. This thing is too big for the lane. I’m going to hit everything. 

But before long I was cruising without a care, alternating between blaring the best Raptors analysis quadrumvirate known to man, and the Jays game on the radio. Just a man, his rig, and the road.  

The Raptors’ season, and first-round playoff series, hasn’t been so different.  

Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles – Toronto’s only two top-10 picks in the last nine seasons – might seem ill-fitting at first blush. Modern NBA offence can feel so dependent on shooting and spacing. Both have shown glimpses of floor-stretching this season, Murray-Boyles to start the season and Barnes in the playoffs, but neither has proven they can shoot the ball well for a reliable sample.  

This isn’t going to work. Two non-shooting frontcourt players can’t effectively share the floor; they’ll be too cramped in the halfcourt. 

If those doubts hadn’t been silenced already, the Raptors’ first-round series against the Cavs have put them to bed.  

When Barnes and Murray-Boyles share the floor, they own it. The open space between them and opposing offensive threats is traversed in a blink. Those who stand in their way – of a bucket, a board, of ownership of that orange ball – are pushed and pried out of the way with superior strength.  

Barnes’ floor coverage and playmaking already had the promise of a top defender in the world, and that’s beginning to come to fruition this season with a fifth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Murray-Boyles provides similar upside with his versatility, preternatural hands, and brutish strength. Rather than trying to traditionally balance their roster, the Raptors have achieved unique success by doubling down on their strengths.  

When Jakob Poeltl’s back gave out for an extended stretch in the middle of the season, the necessity of playing ‘CMB’ at the five mothered the invention of one of the Raptors’ best two-man lineups, both defensively and overall.  

Opposing teams had a 51.1 effective field goal percentage and shot only 62.2 percent at the rim when Barnes and Murray-Boyles manned the floor, 94th and 90th percentile marks, respectively. Toronto was plus-7.4 points per 100 possessions better when using lineups that included the two, primarily powered by their 92.1 points per 100 first-shot halfcourt plays allowed, which ranked in the 96th percentile. The only team’s defence that put up a better mark in the NBA was the otherworldly Oklahoma City Thunder.  

And the pairing’s defensive success has only been underscored (highlighted and written in big bold letters with a bunch of exclamation marks) in the playoffs. Playing Murray-Boyles alongside Barnes, and in place of Poeltl – whose slow feet have mostly been shredded in pick n’ roll coverage to the point they now have him guarding Evan Mobley, Cleveland’s less-favoured screening option – has been instrumental to Toronto finding success. Their ability to enact the switch-to-blitz ball screen coverage that neutered Cleveland’s otherwise potent offence through Games 3 and 4 is singular. Other teams simply don’t have one player with their strength, length, and fast-paced ground coverage, let alone two of them. 

Toronto’s bash brothers have manhandled the Cavaliers’ fearsome backcourt on blitzes, while still having the footspeed to recover to their initial check. Boulders tumbling down the hill to crush Cleveland’s advantages. Their execution of this coverage has driven Cleveland into more awkward, late-clock attempts than anyone else on the roster, and Cleveland has ended up with the fifth-slowest offence in the playoffs to this point. (The Raptors, conversely, are averaging the second-shortest length of time per offensive possession.)

After Game 2, Joe Wolfond predicted that the Cavaliers’ unsustainable 65 percent shooting in the final four seconds of the clock would come back to earth, and he was right. It’s down to 46 percent over the last three games. And Barnes and Murray-Boyles’ helter-skelter cadence on defence is at the heart of that.  

Barnes and Murray-Boyles have provided proof of concept that their brand of basketball can shift the tactics at play in a series and drive playoff success. They’ve reaffirmed their place as centerpieces on a burgeoning, young team. And for that reason, win or lose in Game 6, or Game 7, this series is already a success for the Raptors.  

Still, they’re surely hungry for more, playing with house money now after hitting the jackpot with the No. 9 pick.  

I luckily didn’t hit anything with the truck while moving. But the Raptors’ two brawny forwards have been putting the shoulder down and trucking any Cavalier that gets in their way, including Mobley and Jarrett Allen, emboldening their resolve to further crash and bash Cleveland’s seemingly more talented roster down to a nub. That is until injuries and attrition reared their ugly heads, particularly in the case of Scottie Barnes, flipping the Raptors back into a perilous position.  

But what Barnes, CMB and co. have achieved through grind-it-out hoops and unique defensive capabilities proves there isn’t just one formula for success, aside from having good basketball players.  

The Raptors have two that are world beaters on defence, and are building towards something intriguing and funky. It’s not heliocentrism, or the five-out 3-point barrage of the 2024 Celtics, or the frenetic pace and hornets’ nest defence of the ‘25 Pacers or Thunder. (Though there are elements of those two teams at play.) It’s something different.  

Like a new place to live. Different than my move, the Barnes and Murray-Boyles vehicle that’s taking us all there is smashing into everything in sight.  

The post The Raptors are doubling down on their strengths first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Series 3-2 Cavaliers

Raptors Outlook

Offensive Rating: 113.7 (5th) | Defensive Rating: 113.4 (11th) | Net Rating: +0.3 (7th)

Toronto’s defense against Cleveland in this series has been impeccable, and Cleveland has not yet figured out how to navigate the ball pressure heavy, and blitzing style defense that Toronto has employed. After the first game, Toronto began to put more pressure on Cleveland’s ball handlers, and send helpers to contain their drives, often allowing the ball to be dumped to someone in the front court like Evan Mobley. Although they didn’t win last game, this defensive scheme has been working, and Cleveland’s offense has definitely taken a hit. Donovan Mitchell has had a fairly lackluster series, and it is due to him not being able to navigate this defense and get to the rim like he usually does. Offensively is where Toronto faltered last game, and what ultimately caused them to come up short. 

If Ingram does suit up tonight, Toronto simply needs more production from him, or at least more utility. Ingram tends to bogart the offense in pursuit of his own scoring at times, but if he were to be more willing to be active off-ball, cutting to move Cleveland defenders, spotting up to keep Cleveland defenders out of the lane, that would be very useful compared to what he has given so far. 

Cavaliers Outlook

Offensive Rating: 113.4 (6th) | Defensive Rating: 113.7 (12th) | Net Rating: -0.3 (10th)

Cleveland has gotten good contributions from James Harden, mostly as a playmaker, but he has still found a way to be a thorn in Toronto’s side when it comes to making highly difficult jumpers and floaters. The difference in last game is what Cleveland got from their bench, namely Dennis Schroeder’s late-game brilliance with his 19 points off the bench. Toronto has mostly controlled Cleveland on the defensive end, and their physicality against their front court has been noticeable as well. 

Toronto needs to make sure that Mitchell is still contained in the pick n’ roll, by blitzing him and making sure that he does not have ample opportunity to get downhill with the ball. If Cleveland is going to close out this series tonight, let it be at the hands of their tertiary players, not their main guys.

Game Info

Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. ET

Television: Sportsnet

Venue: Scotiabank Arena

Starting Lineups (Projected)

Cleveland Cavaliers 

PG: James Harden

SG: Donovan Mitchell

SF: Max Strus

PF: Evan Mobley 

C: Jarrett Allen

Toronto Raptors

PG: Ja’Kobe Walter

SG: RJ Barrett

SF: Brandon Ingram

PF: Scottie Barnes

C: Jakob Poeltl

Injury Report

Toronto Raptors

Immanuel Quickley (Hamstring) – OUT

Brandon Ingram (Heel) – Questionable

Cleveland Cavaliers

None reported.

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The post Gameday: Cavaliers @ Raptors, May 1st first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The prospect of winning seemed so perfect. An injury-riddled Raptors roster with a lineup on the floor consisting of Jakob Poeltl (who had the best game of the series last night), a hometown Sauga man, a rising sophomore, and a second-round and undrafted pick were giving the Cavs a run for their money.

In Game 4, the Cavs failed to close the game, up eight eights with less than five minutes left. The Raptors seemed close to making history repeat itself.

Just as Battle emerged in Game 3, however, former Raptor and current Cavs guard Dennis Shroder turned into his FIBA superstar self with back-to-back baskets to push the lead to seven. This catalyzed a 9-0 Cavs run. The Raptors took a timeout after a Schroder triple, subbed a hobbled Scottie Barnes back on, but the bleeding didn’t stop.

The Raptors tried to answer back with desperation 3s. Ja’Kobe Walter and Shead – who shot 5-10 and 3-6, respectively, from downtown in the first three quarters – went ice cold. After the Raptors’ timeout after Schroder made his triple, Walter went 1-for-3 behind the arc and Shead regressed to the mean, going 0-for-3. The Cavs stuck to their guns and kept daring Shead to shoot. The Raptors shot a measly 2-for-12 from downtown in the fourth quarter.

3-point shooting struggles is not new news for this team, but last night, another discovery was made. Rajakovic has talked about the playoffs being a place where you discover that you’re powerful beyond measure. The Raptors remained competitive against a healthy Cavs team without Brandon Ingram (for most of the game) and Scottie’s quadricep.

The Raptors have been putting pressure on the Cavs all series, and now know they can take this to Game 7 regardless of who’s on the roster at Scotiabank tomorrow.

The post Underwhelming finish after a hard-fought battle first appeared on Raptors Republic.

All three players were on training camp contracts and appeared in the expansion team’s 83-78 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday in Toronto.

Rocci scored 11 points and had three assists across 14 minutes off the bench, while Wallace added five points and three assists against the Sun. Mabrey ended the game with three rebounds and one assist.

The Tempo’s roster now includes Julie Allemand, Elizabeth Balogun, María Conde, Temi Fágbénlé, Isabelle Harrison, Lexi Held, Laura Juškaitė, Teonni Key, Kitija Laksa, Marina Mabrey, Nina Milić, Kia Nurse, Aaliyah Nye, Kiki Rice, Nyara Sabally, and Brittney Sykes.

Earlier this month, the team signed Dara’s sister, Marina Mabrey, and Brittney Sykes to two-year max contracts, with Mabrey receiving a core designation from the club before being signed by the Tempo. The team also signed Canadian Kia Nurse, becoming the first Canadian-born player to suit up for Canada’s first WNBA team.

These cuts come ahead of the Tempo’s final preseason game this Friday against the Minnesota Lynx. The move is a little surprising to many, given Rocci’s solid play, but the team’s high number of guards left no room for Rocci et al to get playing time.

The Tempo open their season with a two-game homestand against the Washington Mystics on Friday, May 8, and the Seattle Storm on Wednesday, May 13.

If you wonder when the two expansion teams will face off for the first time, the Portland Fire come to town on May 23.

The post Tempo waive three after first preseason game first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The Toronto Raptors played with some grit and resilience against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game 5, despite Brandon Ingram leaving the game with a heel injury and Scottie Barnes being hobbled with a quad injury.

Here’s how they almost won:

Here’s Louis on the recap:

And in the third quarter, Barnes was dramatically limited. He didn’t move as well after his late first-half injury. His shots were fadeaways rather than moving towards the rim. Barrett kept Toronto afloat, grinding his way to points. But the Cavaliers were closing, closing, a shark chasing prey. The Raptors were a boat leaking water, a car out of gas, blood in the water. 

For a time, Barnes seemed to find his legs. Another no-look dime to Murray-Boyles for a layup. He pinned a Mitchell layup from out of nowhere, taking a Mitchell backhand to the eye for his efforts. But he was less mobile defensively, his invisible presence annihilating Cleveland’s offensive flow no longer functioning at top capacity. Mitchell windmill-dribbled into the middle of the floor, dominating for the first time since Game 2. Mobley started finding easy shots fall into his lap. Schroder even found layups.

The Raptors didn’t cave. Shead hit a prove-it triple. Jamison Battle back cut on an overplay and finished a lob from Jakob Poeltl. Toronto found some answers to enough questions to remain competitive. But Barnes wasn’t himself, and without him to be the rising tide and the lifted boat, the Raptors were chum in the water. Shead hit his triple, but he also drove to loft layups into crowds that got swatted. Walter’s uncontested triples vanished. In fact, everyone’s triples vanished. 

Meanwhile, Cleveland started finding very open layups. The Cavaliers’ took the lead, then grew it to two, then seven, then 10. Hobbled, slow, Barnes wasn’t able to seize the spotlight and wrench the narrative of the game that was so firmly driving in the opposite direction. He frequently let Barrett close the game, who drove with fearless élan, but it was like bringing a pistol to a bazooka fight without Barnes’ dominance to lead the way. 

The post Raptors film room: They had their shot until this happened first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Samson Folk & Trevon Heath go live to discuss Game 5 of the Raptors-Cavaliers series.

From Louis’ piece:

“For a time, Barnes seemed to find his legs. Another no-look dime to Murray-Boyles for a layup. He pinned a Mitchell layup from out of nowhere, taking a Mitchell backhand to the eye for his efforts. But he was less mobile defensively, his invisible presence annihilating Cleveland’s offensive flow no longer functioning at top capacity. Mitchell windmill-dribbled into the middle of the floor, dominating for the first time since Game 2. Mobley started finding easy shots fall into his lap. Schroder even found layups.

The Raptors didn’t cave. Shead hit a prove-it triple. Jamison Battle back cut on an overplay and finished a lob from Jakob Poeltl. Toronto found some answers to enough questions to remain competitive. But Barnes wasn’t himself, and without him to be the rising tide and the lifted boat, the Raptors were chum in the water. Shead hit his triple, but he also drove to loft layups into crowds that got swatted. Walter’s uncontested triples vanished. In fact, everyone’s triples vanished. 

Meanwhile, Cleveland started finding very open layups. The Cavaliers’ took the lead, then grew it to two, then seven, then 10. Hobbled, slow, Barnes wasn’t able to seize the spotlight and wrench the narrative of the game that was so firmly driving in the opposite direction. He frequently let Barrett close the game, who drove with fearless élan, but it was like bringing a pistol to a bazooka fight without Barnes’ dominance to lead the way. 

Toronto won every offensive rebound, but it couldn’t hit the triples that came afterwards. And so the Raptors fell. They fell valiantly, and they fell passionately, but they fell all the same. The Raptors are now looking uphill at a Cleveland team that was tottering for the first 36 minutes of Game 5. Barnes, too, is looing uphill at his place in the pantheon. He finished with 17 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, three blocks, and a steal. It looked like he could have had so much more. That will come. But injury and time will determine whether he’ll be able to seize his place on top of the mountain this postseason, or whether he’ll have to wait — who knows how long.”

Have a blessed day.

The post RAPTORS VS CAVALIERS GAME 5 REACTION – PULL UP TRE first appeared on Raptors Republic.