OG Anunoby’s Game 3-winning buzzer-beater saved the Toronto Raptors' season, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said on Inside The NBA.
The Toronto Raptors were a half-second away from falling into the abyss that no NBA team has ever escaped. Down by two points, down by two games, the reigning champions needed a miracle.
Anunoby delivered. He caught a cross-court pass that Kyle Lowry threaded over everybody else on the floor and hit a three-pointer as time expired, giving the Raptors a 104-103 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semi-final series on Thursday night.
The Celtics still lead the series 2-1. But it's not 3-0 - and that means the Raptors still have realistic hope.
"Anunoby definitely saved the Raptors season," Green said on TNT's Inside The NBA post-game show.
"I am a big Brad Stevens fan and I think he is a great coach but, tonight, (the Celtics') loss is on him. He left his 'dogs' on the court too long and let Toronto get their feet under them. Once they got going, they were rolling.
"Also, to go into a zone (defense) at the end of the game, that made no sense. Tacko Fall should not have been on the floor. You are up two points. If you are up three and go zone to protect against a three-pointer, I understand. But to go into a zone (in this situation), there was too much grey area. And OG made them pay."
The Raptors mobbed Anunoby after the shot, revelling in the moment.
"Someone hit me in the nose," Anunoby said. "It's cool."
The Celtics took a two-point lead when Kemba Walker found Daniel Theis for a dunk with a half-second left. No team in NBA history has rallied from a 3-0 series deficit. The Raptors won't have to try it now; Lowry elected to audible and throw the long pass - threading it over Boston's 7ft 5in Tacko Fall, who was put in specifically to disrupt the inbounds play - to Anunoby.
"The pass was nothing," Lowry said. "OG made the shot. All the credit goes to the shot, man. That's a tough shot. Give OG that credit. The pass was just to get it to a guy like OG. It's OG's moment, man. That's a great moment for that kid."
Inside The NBA analyst Charles Barkley said: "The pass was fantastic, but it was made easier by Fall going back and forth. He wasn't all over the ball like he should be. He was jumping in passes lanes. He moved too much. It became an open pass and the kid (Anunoby) made a hell of a shot.
"I agree with Draymond. I don't understand why, up by two points, the Celtics were playing a zone. That almost forces a team to shoot a three. But it was a great pass and a hell of a shot."
Hauling their way back into the series with a dramatic Game 3 win will not automatically solve the issues that have plagued the Raptors in the series so far. No 1 scoring option Pascal Siakam has struggled offensively and the team have made just 34 of their 120 three-point attempts across Games 1, 2 and 3.
"I want to give Kyle Lowry credit, he battled. Him and Fred VanVleet were awesome tonight," said Barkley. "The young man (Pascal) Siakam, they have to get him going. When you are the No 1 guy, you have got to play well. You can't be giving me 16 points. VanVleet and Lowry battled their butts off tonight but your best player has to be your best player if you are going to win."
Barkley's fellow analyst Shaquille O'Neal said the Celtics also have lessons to learn after their Game 3 performance.
"Toronto are alive, but they didn't play great. Boston didn't play great, either," he said. "When you are a team and you are supposed to beat an opponent, you have to put them away. You can't give them chances. What if Tatum doesn't play well in the next game? Then you'd be looking at a 2-2 series.
"Boston are going to be very upset. I think they will come out with much more energy in Game 4. They definitely let this one get away."