"Kawhi is so good, he made LeBron go BACK to Cleveland!"
The emergence of Kawhi this season and last has been duly noted around the league, but let's take a look at some of his many hits and few misses.
In his rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs, Leonard had a chance to put the game away and help the Spurs beat the LeBron James-led Miami Heat. With the championship on the line, Leonard did not convert, and the Heat went on to win the Finals.
The next season, however, the Spurs faced the Heat again, and this time, with the urging of Spurs coach Greg Popovich and encouragement from his teammates, Leonard played the best basketball of his life, leading his team to beat the Heat in five games and being named Finals MVP.
Perhaps was because of his quiet personality, but the "Leonard Leopard" was still quite tame during the following seasons, especially with so many others to contribute. Manu Ganobli, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker were still the "big three," even though they were nearing the end of their great careers. Once Leonard was showing the league what he could do, he sufferred a seried of injuries. His last injury with the Spurs caused some of his teammates to publicly criticize him for missing games.
When Leonard asked to be traded to a team in Los Angeles, the franchise refused, sending him packing to Toronto. Toronto signed a one-year contract with him, hoping he could help bring a championship to the oft-disappointed city. Even though he was out with injury for some parts of the season, the Raptors still managed to secure the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. All throughout the playoffs in 2019, Leonard led his team, including the four-bounce buzzer beater in game seven against Philadelphia, the first of its kind. Against the regular season MVP Giannis Antetakoumpo and first-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, they were down two games to zero. Once Leonard started guarding him, though, Toronto rallied four straight to go to the Finals.
The sky seems to the limit with Leonard's Finals MVP performance against the Golden State Warriors. He has been doing quite well this season, too, downing LeBron's Lakers team in the season opener. The fact that Kawhi Leonard emerged out of mere obscurity makes him an anomaly. He was not a basketball phenom out of high school or college. One thing is certain, he has worked hard at his craft. Now, this quiet gentleman can do something few have achieved: a championship and Finals MVP back-to-back.
The emergence of Kawhi this season and last has been duly noted around the league, but let's take a look at some of his many hits and few misses.
In his rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs, Leonard had a chance to put the game away and help the Spurs beat the LeBron James-led Miami Heat. With the championship on the line, Leonard did not convert, and the Heat went on to win the Finals.
The next season, however, the Spurs faced the Heat again, and this time, with the urging of Spurs coach Greg Popovich and encouragement from his teammates, Leonard played the best basketball of his life, leading his team to beat the Heat in five games and being named Finals MVP.
Perhaps was because of his quiet personality, but the "Leonard Leopard" was still quite tame during the following seasons, especially with so many others to contribute. Manu Ganobli, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker were still the "big three," even though they were nearing the end of their great careers. Once Leonard was showing the league what he could do, he sufferred a seried of injuries. His last injury with the Spurs caused some of his teammates to publicly criticize him for missing games.
When Leonard asked to be traded to a team in Los Angeles, the franchise refused, sending him packing to Toronto. Toronto signed a one-year contract with him, hoping he could help bring a championship to the oft-disappointed city. Even though he was out with injury for some parts of the season, the Raptors still managed to secure the number two seed in the Eastern Conference. All throughout the playoffs in 2019, Leonard led his team, including the four-bounce buzzer beater in game seven against Philadelphia, the first of its kind. Against the regular season MVP Giannis Antetakoumpo and first-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, they were down two games to zero. Once Leonard started guarding him, though, Toronto rallied four straight to go to the Finals.
The sky seems to the limit with Leonard's Finals MVP performance against the Golden State Warriors. He has been doing quite well this season, too, downing LeBron's Lakers team in the season opener. The fact that Kawhi Leonard emerged out of mere obscurity makes him an anomaly. He was not a basketball phenom out of high school or college. One thing is certain, he has worked hard at his craft. Now, this quiet gentleman can do something few have achieved: a championship and Finals MVP back-to-back.
Comments
Post a Comment