'I like when the game is on the line': Scottie Barnes on 4th quarter scoring

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes discusses the upcoming trade deadline, LeBron James breaking the scoring record and why he seems to turn it on in the 4th quarter.

Video Transcript

SCOTTIE BARNES: I haven't really been paying attention to it. And I don't really feel anything. I don't really-- I'm saying like as a team, as a group, I don't really hear nothing coming from it. So I don't really feel nothing.

- Were you told, coming into the NBA, how to react to this part of the season? Some way out of the process?

SCOTTIE BARNES: No, not really. I don't really think of it. I don't really hear nothing from it, like I said. Last year was just one trade that happened, I think. But we didn't really hear nothing from it.

- Scottie, longest road trip of your career so far-- how did you think it went? Was it more challenging than previous trips?

SCOTTIE BARNES: No, I wouldn't say it was challenging at all. I felt like we had-- we was just spending time as a group together. It was fun, I would say, being on the West Coast.

We was just developing chemistry, trying to win games, staying together as a group, staying together as a unit, just trying to play hard, and fight through every game.

- Growing up, I'm sure you were a fan of the NBA. Different now, but was this a time of the year that you were locked into as a fan growing up and seeing what was going to happen across the league?

SCOTTIE BARNES: Not really. I don't think I was ever really looking into the trade deadline when I was a fan of the NBA. I was really more-- I really focused more on the NBA when it was coming towards the playoff time and things were getting more intense. I would say that was more when I started watching it more.

- Scottie, you're almost through two seasons. Can you imagine playing 20 seasons? What do you think of what LeBron [INAUDIBLE]?

SCOTTIE BARNES: That's going to be unbelievable. I was just thinking about that today. It's always on TV now once you turn on ESPN and you go on ESPN. It's crazy, him playing in the league right now and that's about to happen.

I would say that's crazy. It's unbelievable. He's still probably going to have a couple more years left. That's insane.

- [INAUDIBLE]

SCOTTIE BARNES: I don't know. I don't know about that one. I think that's going to be his for a while.

- Hey, Scottie, you had a great fourth quarter against Memphis and you've had a lot of really strong fourth quarters of late. What is it about the fourth quarter where it seems like you can really turn on a switch and really take over [INAUDIBLE].

SCOTTIE BARNES: I would just say it's-- I like competition. I like when the game's on the line. I feel like I focus, lock in a little bit more. It just happens.

I can't really tell you how it happens. It just happens. It's like it's-- I don't know, it's just like something that just happens during those moments. I feel like when we need it, sometimes I have the ball, sometimes everybody else has the ball.

But it's just about how we come together and how we just put-- we just play. Feel like last game, it was just in my hands a little bit more in that fourth quarter and things was just clicking for me.

- [INAUDIBLE] reply saying I'm [INAUDIBLE] something like that. What makes you believe you're him or give me the [INAUDIBLE]?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I was excited. I got happy. It was not really like that, it was just some excitement, some enjoyment, celebrate with my teammates. They were hyping me up as well. I was just hype.

- Was that your first career game-winner?

SCOTTIE BARNES: What?

- Your first game-winner?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I don't know. I don't really know.

- Scottie, do you feel like you're just seeing all the talent that's in this league right now, and how competitive the East is, and how tight the standings are-- do you feel like you're playing in one of the most talented eras of NBA basketball right now?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I don't know the answer to that one. I feel like there's a lot of great eras. I don't really try to compare this one. But it's a lot of talent around the league and a lot of people with a lot of skills. As you can see, scoring is going up and things like that.

So I could say it's been a lot of high paced, high scoring games. And it's a lot of competition.

- Thank you, Scottie.