Category: Sports News

The Toronto Raptors aren’t supposed to be here.

But they are anyway, and it’s the best-case scenario for a team surviving mostly off their instincts. They’ve learned to live with injuries to key players and miraculously adapted to the harsh environment of playoff basketball.

They have one last mountain to climb in their Game 7 matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but that’s mandatory for any team playing with house money.

With a monumental upset now potentially in play, here are six things the Raptors must overcome ahead of the 7:30 p.m. EST tip-off:

History

The Raptors are 3-3 in Game 7:

• Lost 88-87 to the Philadelphia 76ers (2001)
• Lost 104-103 to the Brooklyn Nets (2014)
• Won 89-84 against the Indiana Pacers (2016)
• Won 116-89 against the Miami Heat (2016)
• Won 92-90 against the Philadelphia 76ers (2019)
• Lost 92-87 to the Boston Celtics (2020)

That’s not a bad winning percentage compared to the rest of the league. Legacy organizations like the Boston Celtics (0.729) and Los Angeles Lakers (0.666) rank the best, especially amongst those with the most experience. Modern-day contenders like the Oklahoma City Thunder (8/13) and the New York Knicks (7/16) offer a more realistic spectrum of results.

The real concern lies with the fact that home teams have won 74 per cent of the time throughout the history of the NBA. For all of the discourse surrounding the length of the regular-season, there’s still tremendous value in putting in the work during the marathon of a grind.

Troubles in the fourth

After averaging 35.3 points in the fourth quarter throughout the first four games of the series, the Raptors have mightily struggled in the final frame during the last two contests. Cleveland has figured something out or is playing with more urgency. They’ve limited Toronto to an average of 14.5 points in Games 5 and 6. The Raptors are also a combined -19 during this stretch. A part of their issue can be attributed to the loss of Brandon Ingram.

Assuming Ingram won’t be available despite his status being upgraded to questionable, this won’t cut it in Game 7. Even if the Raptors get off to a great start and figure out how to maintain it, it’ll all come down to whether they can produce in the final 12 minutes.

Can the Canadian do it again?

A part of the problem with the team’s late-game offence stems from RJ Barrett. The Canadian knocked down one of the greatest shots in Raptors history, but the road to that legendary moment was a bumpy one. In the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers fully lean into a strategic decision to put length (either Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen) on Barrett to negate his drive. While Barrett found success earlier in the series, credit Mobley and Allen for doing a better job of absorbing contact and making it difficult for any over-the-top finishes.

Even with his wrecking-ball style limited, what’s further complicating things is that Barrett’s outside shooting has abandoned him late in games. The Cavaliers are daring Barrett to beat them from the perimeter late in games. It ultimately worked out in the Raptors’ favour to win Game 6, but will it carry over to Game 7?

Need more from Shead

Another symptom of the Raptors’ offensive struggles traces back to Jamal Shead. The point guard is the most obvious Raptors bulldog. It’s easy to spot the Kyle Lowry mannerism. Unfortunately, like Lowry, Shead has battled with his outside jumper during his young career. While he was never the sub-30 per cent shooter that Lowry was during his first four seasons, Raptors fans understand that anything Shead provides from beyond-the-arc is a breath of fresh air.

The Cavaliers have hedged their bets on the law of averages, often leading to wide-open shots for Shead in the fourth quarter. He frustratingly missed multiple attempts from the corner in Game 5 and went 2-for-7 in Game 6.

Toronto has done a few things to counter this, like putting the ball in Shead’s hands more, which leverages his strengths as a ball-handler and set-up man. But there will be pivotal moments when the ball is in the hands of Barrett or Scottie Barnes, and chances are Shead will be called on to hit a series-clinching type of shot.

Mobley is a problem

After being labelled as the primary reason for Cleveland dropping the first two games in Toronto, Mobley has quieted the doubters. Mobley averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 0-for-7 from deep during Games 3 and 4. Since then, the big man has averaged 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds. He has also knocked down six of his 10 three-point attempts.

He confidently attacked Collin Murray-Boyles to send the game into overtime on Friday and nearly knocked down the game-winner in overtime.

Mobley is getting strong as the series progresses and another stellar performance could mean trouble for the Raptors.

Pride matters

Mobley’s running-mate in Allen has also answered the call over the last two games. Allen drew criticism for how he handled the Raptors’ decision to guard him with a smaller player. While Toronto survived hiding players like Barrett, Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter on Allen earlier in the series, the Cavaliers centre has done a better job of exploiting the size mismatch.

The Raptors’ most physical bigs (Barnes and Murray-Boyles) also happen to be their two best perimeter defenders. Toronto has understandably declared Donovan Mitchell and James Harden as the more dangerous threat, which means getting creative with Allen and Mobley.

In Game 6, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic had no choice but to deploy Jakob Poeltl. The Austrian centre played a series-high 21 minutes. This isn’t necessarily a sustainable option. Extended minutes for Poeltl mean other schematic issues could – and typically do – materialize.

Unfortunately, the Raptors may not have a choice after being out-rebounded 65-48 (19-10 on the offensive boards) in Game 6.

The Lakers were supposed to be the easy playoff matchup in the difficult Western Conference. They didn’t get the memo.

LeBron James’ Herculean effort led the shorthanded Lakers to a six-game series win over the Houston Rockets in the first round, setting up a conference semifinal series against the Oklahoma City Thunder that begins Tuesday.

The Lakers season took a turn for the worst the last time the Lakers played in Oklahoma City, losing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to regular-season ending injuries. The demoralizing loss sent the Lakers into a three-game tail spin one month before the playoffs.

But where most saw concern, Lakers coach JJ Redick saw opportunity.

“I had no doubt in my mind that we could get the group back and build the belief and confidence and be able to execute and give ourselves an opportunity to win a playoff series,” Redick said. “And then go take on the world champions and be competitive in that."

The Thunder have lived up to their championship billing; they were the only team to sweep their first-round playoff series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 33.8 points on 55.1% shooting and eight assists in the first round against the Phoenix Suns. The Thunder played two games without All-NBA wing Jalen Williams, who injured his left hamstring in Game 2 and was week-to-week with a Grade 1 strain.

Read more:'There's no quit.' Lakers' leadership, resilience shines through in series-clinching win

Doncic's Grade 2 left hamstring strain will likely keep him out at least for the beginning of the series.

Here’s how the teams match up (with regular-season statistics):

Key team stats

LAKERS:
Regular-season record: 53-29
Offensive rating (OFF RTG): 117.0 (10th)
Defensive rating (DEF RTG):115.5 (20th)
Net Rating (NET RTG)*: 1.5 (14th)

THUNDER:
Regular-season record: 64-18
Offensive rating (OFF RTG): 117.6 (7th)
Defensive rating (DEF RTG): 106.5 (1st)
Net Rating (NET RTG)*: 11.1 (1st)

(*Net rating subtracts defensive rating from offensive rating for a projected margin of victory.)

Players to watch

LAKERS:
LeBron James: 20.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 7.2 apg, 51.5 fg%/31.7 3-pt. fg%/73.7 ft%
Austin Reaves: 23.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 5.5 apg, 49.0 fg%/36 3-pt. fg%/87.1 ft%
Deandre Ayton: 12.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1 bpg, 67 fg%/64.5% ft

THUNDER:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 31.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.6 apg, 55.3 fg%/38.6 3-pt. fg%/87.9 ft%
Chet Holmgren: 17.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 55.7 fg%/36.2% 3-pt. fg%/79.2 ft%
Isaiah Joe: 11.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.3 ast, 45.5 fg%/42.3 3-pt. fg%/89.4 ft%

How the Lakers fared

Season series: 0-4

Nov. 12, 2025, in Oklahoma City
Thunder 121, Lakers 92
Neither team was at full strength with James sidelined because of sciatica and the Thunder without Luguentz Dort and Jalen Williams. Oklahoma City still dominated behind an effortless 30-point, nine-assist night from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It was the largest defeat of the season for the Lakers until April.

Feb. 9, in Los Angeles
Thunder 119, Lakers 110
Both teams were without their MVP candidates as Gilegous-Alexander sat because of a strained abdominal muscle and Doncic was sidelined by a hamstring injury. The Thunder proved their depth and chemistry by holding off the Lakers in the fourth quarter. This was one of just eight clutch-time losses for the Lakers during the regular season.

April 2, in Oklahoma City
Thunder 139, Lakers 96
The nightmare score wasn’t as scary for the Lakers as seeing their two leading scorers injured in the same game. Reaves played through what was later diagnosed as a Grade 2 oblique muscle strain, and Doncic left in the third quarter with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. The game was expected to be a major showdown between MVP candidates and a litmus test for the Lakers, who entered with 13 wins in their previous 14 games.

April 8, in Los Angeles
Thunder 123, Lakers 87
The Lakers were without four starters and still reeling from the regular season-ending injuries suffered by Doncic and Reaves the previous week. Matching up with the Thunder again only exacerbated the emotional hangover. Redick tried to inject some energy into the group by benching veterans Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt for small mistakes early, but the coach later admitted the tactic didn’t work.

Early odds

The Thunder opened as 16-point favorites to win Game 1. James has never been a bigger underdog in a playoff game, according to Yahoo Sports.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

There are underdogs, and then there are the kind of underdogs that look like they just wandered into the wrong NBA arena. 

The Lakers aren’t just staring up at the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, they’re squinting at them through a telescope. 

Thankfully for the Lakers, this is not uncharted territory.

Ahead of their first-round playoff series against the much younger, faster and deeper Rockets, the Lakers opened as +475 underdogs. Without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Rockets were sitting comfortably at -650. 

The Lakers didn’t just survive that series, they deconstructed it. Over the course of six grueling games, coach JJ Redick and the Lakers stripped away Houston’s superpower on the offensive glass and extra possessions. By Game 6 in Houston, the Lakers dominated those categories and held the Rockets to the lowest scoring total than any team thus far in the postseason. 

Yes, Kevin Durant did not play in five of the six games, and his injury shifted the balance, but that doesn’t erase the Lakers’ execution. Especially without their top scorer. 

Now comes the Western Conference semifinals. By virtue of their victory over the Rockets in six games, the Lakers now earn the right to get absolutely smashed by the reigning champion Thunder. 

The second-round odds look more like a No. 16 vs. No. 1 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

The Lakers open the series as +945 underdogs. Some books even pushed it to +1000. The Thunder are -1700 favorites. That means you’d have to lay $1,700 on OKC to win the series just to win $100.

Those opening lines are unprecedented for the Lakers’ franchise. According to Sports Odds History, the Lakers have never been this big of an underdog in a conference semifinal in the NBA’s modern era. And maybe not in any era!

Game 1 — scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday — has the host Thunder favored by 16 points. That’s more than just a spread, it’s an indictment.

For context, the last time LeBron James saw anything close to this kind of disrespect by oddsmakers was Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, when his Cavaliers opened as +12.5 underdogs against the Warriors. The Cavs nearly won that game in regulation, only to lose by 10 in overtime. Nevertheless, they covered. 

But these odds? This is bigger. This is colder. 

And if you’re wondering why the odds are so high, look no further than the four-game season series between the teams. 

The Thunder swept the Lakers in four noncompetitive matchups this season. 

A 29-point beatdown in November. A February loss to a Thunder team missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at Crypto.com Arena. The April 2 loss. A 43-point disaster that saw injuries to Doncic and Reaves swallow the Lakers whole. Then a 36-point loss in a glorified scrimmage a few days later. 

Average margin of defeat: 29.3 points.

That is the largest margin of defeat between any teams in a playoff matchup in NBA history. 

But honestly, these odds are probably exactly where they should be. 

The Thunder are younger, deeper, faster and more cohesive. They don’t just beat you, they break you. Led by SGA, who can beat you from deep, midrange and at the rim, they are one of the NBA’s best defensive teams and are constructed by talented players who all know and embrace their roles. They space the floor, they knock down 3s and they get out in transition. Their pace turns fatigue into a weapon. It overwhelms opponents. A close game can turn into a blowout in the blink of an eye. 

Against the oldest team still remaining in the NBA playoffs, without its MVP candidate, it borders on cruelty. 

Which brings us to Doncic. He’s the only chance the Lakers have in this series, and even that is slim. Right now, he’s on the outside looking in. He’s begun shooting and moving on the court, but still hasn’t progressed to 1-on-1 drills. He’s not expected to return for Game 1, but he could return at some point in the series. But by then, the series could already be decided. 

Once again, the Lakers are a team looking to survive long enough to buy Doncic more time. A group leaning on the brilliance of the 41-year-old James. They just emptied the tank against the Rockets; now they’re expected to sprint uphill against the reigning champions. 

The odds say this series ends quickly. It may even get ugly. But the playoffs don’t run on odds or logic. They run on unpredictability, momentum and chaos. 

Nobody predicted Durant’s injury. Nobody predicted the Lakers beating the Rockets at their own game without Doncic. And nobody is predicting the Lakers even have a chance against the Thunder. 

Is it likely the Lakers win the series? No. 

Is it possible? Well, that’s why they play the games.

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HOUSTON — LeBron James sat by his locker, alternating between being introspective and funny.

He allowed himself to take things in, saying he was “living in the moment a lot more.”

He joked about his son, Bronny, bearing an uncanny resemblance to NFL player Will Anderson Jr., calling him “my fourth child.”

Nothing stood out about the moment. 

Except everything. 

What just happened was monumental. 

The 41-year-old James had just led a depleted Lakers team without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves (for all but two games) past the Rockets in their first-round playoff series, winning Game 6 in Houston on Friday, 98-78. 

This was no ordinary first-round win for James, who has carried 10 NBA teams to the Finals, winning four championships. 

This was one of the most stunning accomplishments of his career. 

It’s time to stop questioning whether James is the greatest player of all time. 

Six games before the regular season ended, Doncic suffered a hamstring strain and Reaves sustained an oblique strain in the same game April 2, deflating the Lakers like a nail in a tire.

They were counted out in the playoffs. 

No one believed James could carry this team past the Rockets, not at this stage of his career. 

He’s the first NBA player to play in his 23rd season. He was too old to put a bunch of role players on his back and pull off a miracle. Even in his prime, that would’ve been a huge ask. 

The thing is, James is used to being told what he can’t do. 

He thrives off proving people wrong. That’s his drug, his fix. 

He has been under the brightest of spotlights since he was in middle school. When he entered the NBA as an 18-year-old, he had the highest expectation of any prospect ever. Everyone was waiting for him to fail. 

James sprinted past the pressure, shattering every ceiling. He’s the league’s all-time leading scorer, he has the most All-Star selections (22) and has played the most minutes. 

But still, no one believed James could do this. 

Lead a Lakers team without its top-two scorers, who left behind a 60-point hole? At his age? No chance. No way. 

 When are we going to stop doubting him? 

James responded by averaging 23.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists over 38.5 minutes per game. Those are stunning numbers for anyone but unheard-of numbers for a 41-year-old playing against guys who are nearly half his age.

He carried the team to a 3-0 series lead. 

Then after the Rockets won two straight games, stealing the series momentum, James catapulted the Lakers to a second-round date with the reigning champion Thunder. 

Said Austin Reaves: “I just went over to him and was like, ‘You’re insane.’ The stuff that you’re doing is not normal.”

Added Lakers coach JJ Redick: “To me, he’s had the greatest career of any NBA player.”

The oldest NBA player in the league was the best player in the series.

In Game 1, he unraveled the Rockets with his passing, finishing with 19 points and 13 assists. In Game 2, he led all scorers with 28 points. In Game 3, he made a game-tying 3-pointer that forced overtime, and he went on to play 45 minutes. In Game 5, he orchestrated an 11-1 fourth-quarter run, cutting the Lakers’ 13-point deficit to three points and giving them a chance to win.

In Game 6, he was everywhere, doing everything, finishing with game highs in points (28) and assists (eight), as well as grabbing seven rebounds. He had the highest plus-minus (+26) of anyone on the court.

James didn’t just perform. He shined. He stunned.

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He made a dejected-and-hapless group of role players believe in themselves. He brought out the best in them. He led them out of the abyss. 

He reinvigorated their careers.

Marcus Smart was falling out of the league. Deandre Ayton was considered immature and unreliable. Luke Kennard was pigeonholed. Each of them looked like stars at times this series.

It was because of James.

If James was pouring every ounce of himself onto the court, how could they not? If someone who understood winning on such a deep level believed in his teammates, how could they not believe in themselves?

What James did was extraordinary. 

As the Lakers huddled after Game 6, a loud chant broke out.

“Literally every single guy was going, ‘Baahhhh, baahhhhh,'” Redick said.

The team was making goat sounds to honor the greatest player of all time, a convenient acronym that could be celebrated with a bleat.

It’s time to stop playing devil’s advocate. To stop the debate. To stop questioning him. 

James is the best ever. 

What we just witnessed was nothing short of breathtaking.  

In Saturday’s Brotherhood Playoff Action, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics were eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers, 109-100. Tatum was listed as questionable earlier, but was ruled out due to stiffness in his left knee.

Philadelphia will go on to play the New York Knicks. You’ll recall that Tatum suffered his Achilles injury in last year’s playoffs against the Knicks, so he’ll miss the chance to close that circle.

On Sunday, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter will lead the Orlando Magic into Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons. In the second game, RJ Barrett and the Toronto Raptors will take on Tyrese Proctor and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of that series. Brandon Ingram is listed as questionable with heel inflammation.

• Stubborn Joe Mazzulla and his Jayson Tatum-less, three-obsessed Celtics got the fate they deserved in Game 7
• 76ers complete comeback against Jayson Tatum-less Celtics in Game 7, setting up clash with Knicks
• Celtics lose Game 7 to Sixers without Jayson Tatum after late rally falls short
• 76ers up next for Knicks in playoffs after surviving Jayson Tatum-less Celtics in Game 7 thriller
• Jayson Tatum shares candid moment with Joel Embiid after Celtics’ Game 7 elimination
• What’s next for Jayson Tatum? How Celtics superstar injuries make future feel uncertain
• Joe Mazzulla explains reasoning behind Jayson Tatum being ruled out for Game 7
• The Orlando Tragic got punked in Game 6
• Paolo Banchero Pulled Up To Game 5 In Travis Scott’s Jordan 1 Low “Tropical Pink”
• Paolo Banchero: “Got caught on our heels” as Magic lose 24-point lead to Pistons
• Raptors’ RJ Barrett Hits Rim-Bouncing Miracle Shot In Cavs Series & Even LeBron James Is Impressed
• LeBron James thanked RJ Barrett for giving him extra rest and time to golf
• ‘Crazy, psychic, hold up, that might go in’: Oral history of Raptors’ RJ Barrett miracle shot
• New camera angle shows how close RJ Barrett’s bounce game-winning 3-pointer was to not counting for Raptors vs. Cavs
• Raptors’ Brandon Ingram gets crucial injury update for Game 7 vs. Cavs
• Raptors’ Brandon Ingram injury creates a Game 7 dilemma

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‘We never wavered': Sixers weren't wrong to believe in brilliant comeback against Celtics  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

 The Sixers of the Joel Embiid era know that playoff basketball can be harsh, even heartbreaking. 

All-world performances, bad bounces and the concept of potential are all irrelevant. You’re either the first team to win four games in a series or you’re not. 

To Embiid, this year’s Sixers team doesn’t feel like all the others.

“This is different,” Embiid said a few minutes into Sunday morning after the Sixers cemented a seven-game comeback series win over the Celtics. “The fight, it’s just there. … We’ve had good teams, but this feels pretty different. I think as long as we stay healthy and whatever game plan we have in the next series, we execute it, then we have a pretty good chance.”

Embiid had dominant stretches Saturday in a 34-point, 12-rebound, six-assist night, but Game 7 wasn’t remotely easy for the Sixers. 

The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum (left knee stiffness) and head coach Joe Mazzulla’s choice to throw three new players into his starting lineup backfired. Boston still had multiple open shots in the fourth quarter to fully erase an 18-point deficit. 

The Sixers needed more than a special Embiid outing to beat Boston in the playoffs for the first time since 1982 and advance to a second-round series vs. the Knicks. Tyrese Maxey capped a superstar’s series by posting 30 points on 11-for-18 shooting, 11 rebounds and seven assists. The NBA’s leader in minutes per game during the regular season, Maxey logged 45 in Game 7. 

“I just think his confidence level has gone up a huge (amount),” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said of Maxey. “For him to come down and say, ‘The game’s on the line and I’m going to put it away,’ I think that’s a big leap for him.”

Maxey scooted to the hoop for two crucial layups in the final minutes. He’s proven he can be great well past the point where an average player’s exhaustion would start to show.

“I work extremely hard in the summer, man. … I’ve worked extremely hard on my body,” Maxey said. “Shoutout to (performance coach) Al Reeser. He’s been on me since my rookie year. … The weight room is probably the biggest thing. I lift after pretty much every game, four to five times a week during the summer. I think that’s really helped me for moments like this.

“I don’t really feel tired right now, honestly. I don’t know how many minutes straight I played, but it happens. I’m just willing to do whatever it takes for us to win. I’m a competitor and I’m going to compete at the highest level on any given night.”

Maxey’s youthful backcourt mate is of the same mind.

VJ Edgecombe, at 20 years old, scored 23 points in Game 7 and shot 5 for 11 from three-point range. 

The rookie was also determined to prevent Derrick White from anything like his 19-point first half in the second. White only scored seven points after halftime. 

With Edgecombe defending him in the series, White shot 3 for 18, per NBA.com. Payton Pritchard went 4 for 17.  Those numbers don’t tell a complete defensive story, but they support the impression that Edgecombe’s effort, athleticism and intelligence all translated well to his first playoff series. 

“He obviously was great,” Nurse said. “They did a lot of helping off him, so he was going to get some opportunities (to shoot) … Most importantly, he came out of halftime saying, ‘I’ve got White and I’m going to do better on him,’ because White was cooking. … Those are the things that make a huge difference in games like this.”

For good reason, Paul George had his least productive game of a very strong two-way series. He chipped in 13 points and three rebounds with an illness that stopped him from sleeping the night prior. 

“We knew what we were up against,” George said of the Sixers’ comeback. “We just had to come out and do our part. We believe in the talent in this room. We believe in our abilities.”

On Tuesday night at TD Garden, the Sixers trailed by 13 points in the third quarter of Game 5.

Outside of Embiid’s gritty play post-appendectomy, there wasn’t much to suggest a historic comeback was in the cards. The Celtics had notched 32-point wins in both Game 1 and Game 4. 

“It’s hard to get drilled a couple of times and bounce back,” Nurse said. “But we go through some tough games during the year and we seem to bounce back almost every time. We get blown (out) by 40 at home, and then we go on the road and win four out of five or something. We seem to kind of have that in us. But (the playoffs) is different than that, so that’s a lesson we can learn. 

“And I do think that in these games and these series, you’re going to have really high highs and really low lows, man. … It’s just the way it is and you’ve got to be able to handle both of them. When you get a great win, who cares? The next game is going to be totally different. And when you get a bad loss, whether it’s by one or by 30, the score is what the score is in the series and you’ve just got to get ready to play the next one.”

The Sixers did so with confidence that could’ve been called irrational.

However, the next three games said they weren’t wrong to believe. Game 1 against the third-seeded Knicks is up next on Monday night.

“We’ve had this weird swag about us all year, this confidence and just the fact that we know who we can be and who we are,” Maxey said. “I said at media day that this team was going to fight every single night and we’ve done that. We’ve gotten beat a couple of times pretty bad. That just happens in this league, but we never wavered.  

“We always believed in each other. … This group really likes each other and really wants to see each other succeed.”