RAPTORS VS CAVALIERS GAME 5 REACTION – PULL UP TRE

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.

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