Success came quickly for Toronto Raptors power forward Scottie Barnes, who won the Rookie of the Year award and got a taste of the playoffs four years ago.
Two All-Star selections followed, but a return to the postseason proved elusive until now.
The fifth-seeded Raptors will challenge the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in an Eastern Conference first-round series. Game 1 is Saturday in Cleveland.
“We knew from when we talked in training camp, that was our goal,” said Barnes, the only player in the league with 600 rebounds, 400 assists and 100 blocked shots in a single season. “I think we were all confident then that we could get it done. It’s just great that we went out and did it.”
Toronto (46-36) moved past the Atlanta Hawks on the final day of the regular season, locking it into a matchup with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and the Cavaliers. Cleveland (52-30) is making its fourth consecutive playoff appearance.
The Raptors went 3-0 against the Cavaliers this season with Barnes averaging 20.0 points and team-highs of 10.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.0 blocks. Brandon Ingram scored 37 points in their final meeting on Nov. 24 and averaged 22.7 points in the set.
All three games occurred long before Cleveland acquired Harden in a trade-deadline deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Cavaliers were 19-7 with the future Hall of Famer in the lineup and won 35 of their final 49 contests.
“We’re a lot different team now,” said reigning Defensive Player of the Year Mobley, who was chosen one spot ahead of Barnes in the 2021 draft at No. 3. “We’ll have to adjust accordingly on how they play, but it’s a good matchup. Toronto has a lot of great players like Scottie and Brandon Ingram.”
Mobley and Barnes will always be linked because of their draft order and the low-key rivalry that developed with both playing the same position. Injuries limited Mobley to 65 games this season, but he still averaged 18.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and a career-high 1.7 blocks.
Their head-to-head battle was the main talking point in Toronto going into the series, while most in Cleveland remain focused on Harden’s elusive quest for a first championship in his 17th season. He has made the playoffs every year.
“It’s like a spin cycle, a lot of up and downs, once you get here,” Harden said. “A lot of different things happen in a game and in a series. Toronto is a really good team, but we’re prepared. We know what we need to do.”
Harden’s ability to execute in half-court sets gives the Cavaliers a dynamic they didn’t have in the last three postseasons. The ninth-leading scorer in NBA history also figures to attack Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley, who is nursing a hamstring injury.
The shooting guard matchup pits Cleveland’s top scorer and face of the franchise, seven-time All-Star Mitchell, against RJ Barrett. Raptors center Jakob Poeltl said he will be “as physical as possible” against Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen.
“You’re playing the same team over and over, so the deeper you go, the sets and plays have less value because everyone can scout,” Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said. “It’s more about the tendencies of the players and are you playing to their strengths or your strengths.”
Quickley was again limited to individual workouts Friday in Toronto. Cleveland’s only question mark is backup center Thomas Bryant (left calf strain), who last played on April 5 and appears unlikely to suit up.
This is the fourth time the teams will square off in the playoffs, where the Cavaliers eliminated the Raptors in the 2016 conference finals, and the 2017 and 2018 semifinals. Toronto was swept in the latter two series and is 0-7 all-time in playoff games in Cleveland.
“This is when we earn our money,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “The flowers are blooming, it’s warm and you just feel the energy. It’s like a renewal. Truly the best time of the year.”
