Cavs find new way to collapse in Game 6 overtime loss to Raptors

TORONTO, CANADA - MAY 1: RJ Barrett #9 of the Toronto Raptors scores the game winning basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Round One Game Six of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 1, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images This era of Cleveland Cavaliers basketball has become synonymous with playoff collapses.

How it happens changes. The final result doesn’t. This time, it was RJ Barrett who broke Cleveland’s heart by hitting a game-winning three that careened off the rim, hung in the air for eternity, and then fell through the hoop with just over a second to play to keep the Toronto Raptors season alive.

That bounce turned what would’ve been a 110-109 win for the Cavs into a 112-110 victory for Toronto. For as good as that shot was, Barrett should’ve never had an opportunity to attempt it, at least not for the win. The Cavs had the ball up one with 11 seconds to play.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson subbed Dennis Schroder, the Game 5 hero, into the game for the crucial possession and decided to inbound the ball in the backcourt. Toronto applied pressure, but Schroder broke it, bursting into the front court. Then, inexplicably, he attempted a pass to Evan Mobley — the worst free-throw shooter on the court — when the Raptors were going to inevitably foul and send Cleveland to the line.