The Raptors had the slight 103-97 edge over the Warriors with 3:05 left in Game 5 on Monday when coach Nick Nurse decided to call a timeout.
The team's dreams of winning its first NBA title were in reach, and after Kawhi Leonard scored 10 straight points, Nurse thought it was the right time to gather his players together.
"We just came across and just decided to give those guys a rest," Nurse said of the timeout, via ESPN. "(We) just thought we could use the extra energy push."
However, the Warriors appeared to be the ones to get a push. Klay Thompson hit a 3, which was followed up by another from Stephen Curry, then finally one more from Thompson to regain the lead.
Combined with several failed attempts to tie the game, the Raptors ended up falling 106-105, forcing a Game 6.
Due to a rule put in place by the NBA last season, teams can have just two timeouts within the last three minutes of the fourth quarter, leading many coaches to call one right before that three-minute mark hits.
"At that time I felt that he probably wanted to get us some rest," Leonard said of Nurse's decision. "You never know. I mean, if we would have won the game, we wouldn't be talking about it."
Whether the timeout caused the momentum shift is unclear, but coming out of it the Raptors struggled mightily in the final three minutes. The team missed five of its last six shots, including three 3-pointers. It also turned the ball over with less than 90 seconds left in the game, which led to Curry tying the score with a 3-pointer of his own.
Nurse admitted these mistakes were huge and ultimately cost them the game.
"I think that in this day and age, up six with three minutes to go doesn't mean a whole lot," Nurse said. "You got to keep playing and getting good shots and keep guarding. We have been a really good close-game team this year, both ends of the floor. We really guarded in the second half; we held them to 22 each quarter, and I felt good at that point.
"(We) just needed to make a couple more plays."