TORONTO — They’re here.
The only Toronto Raptors player who was on the team the last time they were in the playoffs is Scottie Barnes, which speaks to how quickly things change in the NBA. Barnes was a rookie in 2021-22 when the Raptors lost in six games to Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, which were bolstered by adding James Harden in a big mid-season trade. Back then, Barnes was relying on veterans Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby to help show him the way as then Raptors head coach Nick Nurse tried to engineer an upset. Now Barnes is in his fifth season and he’s trying to lead a relatively recently put-together team into the post-season against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which acquired Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers in a big mid-season trade. Nick Nurse now coaches Embiid and the 76ers.
The fifth-seeded Raptors travel to Cleveland to take on the fourth-seeded Cavaliers for Game 1 on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET on Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet+. Game 2 is on Monday, before the series switches to Toronto for Games 3 and 4 on April 23 and 26.
Toronto had its first media availability of the playoffs on Wednesday afternoon at the OVO Athletic Centre.
Barnes very much happy to be here
After getting to the playoffs as a rookie Barnes was on the outside looking in for the next three seasons. That’s one reason the Raptors all-star is appreciating this opportunity to the fullest.
“For sure I’m grateful,” Barnes said. “It’s hard to win basketball games in the NBA, so you can’t take that for granted. Every win, we work super hard for (so we) just got to appreciate it. So I’m super happy we’re here and now we got to go out there and win one game at a time.”
The good news is that Immanuel Quickley was able to go through an individual workout on Wednesday, so he was up and around on what was declared a ‘mild’ hamstring strain in his right leg that he suffered in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. Quickley was in just his third game back after missing eight games due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Not surprisingly, there were no updates given on his timeline or potential availability for the series, though Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said he was “day-to-day.”
The Raptors played the Cavaliers three times in 25 days between Oct. 31 and Nov. 24, winning by 11, 13 and 11 points, respectively. A 64-win team last season, Cleveland battled injuries for much of the season and started this year 17-16 before finishing the season on a 35-14 trot and a 52-30 record. They also acquired Harden at the trade deadline and finished the season healthier than at any other point this season.
So, no, Rajakovic isn’t putting too much weight on the Raptors regular season success: “Some things, obviously, Donovan Mitchell, (Evan) Mobley, (Jarrett) Allen, guys who are still on the roster, that’s one thing (you can look at),” he said. “Their tendencies. But it’s a very different team now. A different team, different dynamics inside that team. James Harden is playing a different style of basketball compared to other players that had on the team in the past. We’ve got to take some things from those (games) we played against them. But the majority is going to be post-All-Star, post-trade, how they’re playing.”
Experience has to be experienced
There isn’t a ton of playoff experience on the Raptors roster. Brandon Ingram has been to the playoffs twice and is 0-2 in first-round series. Barnes was there as a rookie. Jakob Poeltl had a brief taste in 2018 when the Raptors lost to Cleveland in the second round, and lost in the first round in 2019 after being traded to San Antonio. RJ Barrett made it to the playoffs in his second and fourth seasons when he was with the New York Knicks and even beat the Cavaliers in the first round in 2022-23. He plans to share his wisdom with the younger Raptors about to experience it for the first time but acknowledges that can only do so much.
“Stay even keel, is what I would say in the playoffs. If a team goes on a run, stick to your principles, do what you need to do,” said Barrett. “It’s a long game; every game is different. What happens in game one, two, win or lose the first game, come back, next game, ready to go again. Like, it’s a long series, but I mean, it’s tough. There’s nothing that you could really say too much to have people be ready for that moment. I remember I had Derrick Rose (with the Knicks) trying to give me advice on the playoffs. Look, there’s nothing like getting those couple of minutes.”
Survive Quickley being out how, exactly?
The Raptors are heavy underdogs against the Cavaliers, who would pay just $100 on a $900 bet to win. And their chances would likely be reduced further if Quickley is ruled out for any length of time. It would mean the Raptors would be without their point guard and most established three-point shooter, although there is some confidence that Barnes could handle the point guard role well. Barnes averaged nearly 12 assists a game in the first six games that Quickley missed with plantar fasciitis.
“Scottie, he’s pretty much like a big guard anyway,” said Ja’Kobe Walter. “I think he really does good pushing the pace. He’ll rebound and immediately push the ball, which causes all of us to run to our spots earlier, get out in transition. He’s really good at getting to the paint. He draws a lot of attention. They might have to double him sometimes. He’s really good at finding the open man, whether that’s Jak in the dunker or just one of the shooters facing a cutter. So for us, I think he’s really good at just bringing a lot of attention to himself and then making sure that we get open.”
Not that Barnes is too worried about being an underdog: “That stuff doesn’t mean shit.”