You felt bad for the rims. There have been car accidents with less chipped paint. 

Through three quarters, that was the story of Game 4 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round playoff series between the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

It was a game straight out of 2004, the NBA’s version of the deadball era. The two teams were 8-of-57 from three. The game’s leading scorer through 36 minutes was Brandon Ingram, who needed 19 shots to score 18 points. 

But all that mattered for a Raptors team trying to tie the series and head back to Cleveland having won both games at Scotiabank Arena after having been swept convincingly by the heavily favoured Cavs in Games 1 and 2 was that they scored enough to win. 

They emerged with a 93-89 victory that will stand as a monument to determination if not a how-to video for shotmaking. 

Scottie Barnes had the shoulders for it – and not just metaphorically. He battled his way to 23 points, going 11-of-14 from the free-throw line, including all six in the final minutes when the Raptors needed them most. 

Ingram finished with 23, and RJ Barrett had 18. Collin Murray-Boyles came off the bench for 15 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes. 

Toronto earned its first bit of daylight early in the fourth quarter as Game 3 heroes Barnes and Barrett combined for 10 quick points – a relative avalanche of scoring to that stage of the game – to put the Raptors up by six. 

But then the Cavaliers’ high-priced, highly decorated backcourt of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell began to find their game, at least briefly. They were 8-of-25 with 10 turnovers combined to that point, but consecutive threes by the duo in less than a minute gave Cleveland a three-point lead with 6:19 to play. Then another Mitchell three pushed Cleveland’s lead to six, which felt like 12 given how difficult it was for the Raptors to generate any offence. 

But games of this nature become a test of will, and the Raptors remained resolute. Murray-Boyles was a menace on the boards all game, and he kicked one of his five offensive rebounds out for an Ingram triple late in the contest – just the Raptors fourth on 30 attempts. The Raptors gave up a three-pointer to Cleveland’s Sam Merrill, but Ingram got fouled on a three by Harden, made two free throws and pulled Toronto within three before Barrett bulled his way into the paint for a bucket long on determination if not aesthetics, which was fitting. 

The Raptors finally broke through when Barnes and Jamal Shead harassed Mitchell into an eight-second violation and turnover. The play out of the ensuing timeout was for Barnes to go one-on-one with a runway from halfcourt. He was fouled on his dunk attempt by Jarrett Allen and made both free throws with 34.6 seconds left to give the Raptors the lead by one. He made two more free throws with 20.1 seconds left to put Toronto up by three. The crowd could feel it at that point. Murray-Boyes successfully contained Mitchell, forcing the all-NBA guard into a deep, difficult three. 

Barrett made 1-of-2 free throws with 6.3 seconds left to put Toronto up by four. Cleveland got a quick two by Sam Merrill, but when Barnes made two more free throws with 3.8 left, it was over. 

For the first time in a long afternoon of tough, gritty and not very pretty playoff basketball was over, and it was the unproven Raptors that could celebrate. 

That they shot 32 per cent from the floor or missed 26 out of 30 threes, or even that they missed nine free throws, didn’t matter. It mattered that they held the high-powered Cavs to 36.8 per cent and 10-of-40 from three, and stifled Mitchell and Harden (12-of-36 from the floor with 11 of Cleveland’s 18 turnovers) mattered more. 

What mattered most was that the Raptors never let go of the rope and never let their effort lag. 

The two teams will meet for Game 5 in Cleveland on Wednesday night. Game six is back at Scotiabank Arena on Friday. 

The series remains in doubt, but the Raptors are underdogs no more.