Strus Headbutts Barnes in Game 7

During the third quarter of Game 7 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors, Cavaliers guard Max Strus unprovokedly headbutted Scottie Barnes in the chin. The incident occurred with Cleveland leading 76-61 and was initially called as a personal foul before being upgraded to a flagrant 1 after review.

Barnes hit both resulting free throws and added a jump shot for a four-point possession that cut Cleveland's lead to 76-65. While Strus avoided a flagrant 2 penalty and ejection, the incident drew significant criticism as it was clearly not a basketball play during a critical playoff game with a second-round berth at stake. milkshake.it.com