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The last time the Toronto Raptors played in a seventh game, it's a 27-point blowout on the Miami Heat in 2016 that allowed the Raptors to qualify for the first time in the conference. history of their franchise.
After a disappointing defeat in the sixth game against the Philadelphia 76ers, the two teams went into a tough battle with ten head changes and six draws leading to the final seconds of the series.
To tell the biggest story of the second round of the 2019 playoffs – and the story of the Toronto Raptors – we turn to those present for the opportunity:
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10 seconds from the end, Kawhi Leonard misses a free throw, which leads Jimmy Butler to run on the field for a draw.
Kawhi Leonard missed the second of two free throws 10.8 seconds from the end. The Raptors led 90-88.
Leonard: I was disappointed to miss this free kick. I was very angry.
Tobias Harris recovered the rebound and pushed the ball towards Jimmy Butler, who climbed onto the field and obtained a quick t-shirt to separate with 4.2 seconds left on Sergei Ibaka's outstretched arm.
Leonard: I tried to go for it and get the bounce. I probably should have gone back to give a hand for this layup that Jimmy has achieved. But after that, I said to myself: no matter what game he's written, I'll have to go to my place and shoot him with confidence.
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse called a timeout and a final piece was prepared.
Find everything you need to know about the playoffs here.
Nurse: We run Kyle [Lowry] out there first as the first option. Then Kawhi makes a loop and goes to the top. It's up to him to decide. We have seen it a few times this year.
Leonard: We had a similar game during the Magic series and I ended up catching and shooting the ball. It was probably about three seconds, so, I just remembered that moment, knowing that I had at least time to pump fake and dribble.
So he resumed that game tonight and he was four seconds off and, remembering that moment, I knew I had a little bit of time to get some space rather than just catching and pulling the ball.
Leonard took Marc Gasol's pass to the top of the key. Ben Simmons pushed him near the half-court and Leonard started driving in the right corner. Joel Embiid left Pascal Siakam to pick up Leonard through the hash mark.
Leonard took another dribble towards the baseline and got up on a 21-foot back foot over Embiid in the corner.
Raptors Executive Director, Bobby Webster: I always go down to the top to know that I can go out before. I'm standing next to Nick's wife and [Kawhi] come to us. Do you worry about knowing he'll be successful on time? It comes deeper, deeper, deeper. Embiid is on him. Then he must just get up high enough to overcome Embiid.
Leonard: I ended up catching it and just trying to gain some space to be able to shoot. Embiid kept me. But he is taller and longer than me, so I ended up finding a place that I like … on which I work. I knew I had to shoot high. A couple of goods before I had the same kind of shooting of 3 and it ended up being short. I had to ride it higher than that.
Bader Beituni, Scotiabank Arena Security Officer: I was standing with one of my friends here and I called him. I told him, "Kawhi will take this, it'll be a winner of the game here."
Leonard: I just got into my shot, I just pulled it as high as I could and had a little dive. It was awesome.
JJ Redick: It seemed short. It seemed short. And there is a lot of emotion that occurs when the ball starts to roll around the rim.
Four rebounds.
Webster: Before the rim – I will say that when that happens, I'll say, "Ah, it looks a little different from normal." You know? It seemed a little different from normal, right?
Butler: He hit a hard guy. You tip your hat to that. This is an amazing player. We know it. You all know it. And you can not say much more about it.
Head Coach 76ers Brett Brown: I really felt it when he touched the ledge that he was going to end up going in. It did not surprise me that he came in. When it strikes at this angle and it goes straight up, it seems like there's a chance it's going to actually go there. Do not pretend that you can predict anything, it does not surprise me that it ends up falling.
It seemed like it was up there for a while, but with the way it had missed and the bounce on the ball and the fact that it was going straight up and not to the right or the left. It's a hard way to lose. It's a big hit and what a great series.
Simmons: Of course, Jo came out and was able to get his hands dirty, but he's a great player who did a great job.
Nicholas Prasad, Scotiabank Arena Security Officer: I saw the ball hit the basket, hit the rim the first time. The first thing I thought was, "We will work overtime." The second time it hit the rim, I thought we had a chance. And the third time, it came in. And I thought, "Damn it, with this arbitration system, they will definitely see him again."
And when that balloon came in, I went up three steps – I almost stumbled twice – and all I saw was Masai [Ujiri] tears. I saw everyone crying in the bleachers. We were just in shock. But it was like a very good shock. And it was only joy.
Nurse: Looks like it's coming in. Looks like it suits me. I thought it was obviously a good, lucky bounce, right? I thought we were very unlucky for a lot of this game, so it came back a little bit.
I think that he missed a few during the season. This exact same game. Similar shot. So, it's nice that the scales are there tonight.
Embiid: Game 7 – lose the game that way. Last shot. After a hard match. I feel we had a chance. Many things are going through your mind. That sucks. I can not explain it. It just sucks.
Lowry: Super star. In 2001, he did not fall for Vince [Carter]. In 2019, he fell for Kawhi.
Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN contributed to this story.
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