The Toronto Raptors are in the NBA Finals after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 100-94 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Led by Kawhi Leonard’s 27 points and career-high 17 rebounds, the Raptors were able to come back from a 15-point deficit. This clinched Toronto’s first finals appearance in their 24-year history.
Seeing the Raptors advance to their first NBA Finals is truly something to marvel at. But, what’s more impressive is the path taken to reach the finals. And, the attention all falls onto one man, Kawhi Leonard. Leonard put both his team and the city on his back for the entire postseason to lead them to this point. Through the injuries, buzzer-beaters, and gritty performances, Kawhi has led the Raptors out of the East. And, for more reasons than one, it’s safe to claim that, as of now, Kawhi Leonard is the best player in the league.
To many, the best player in the NBA is still LeBron James. There’s no doubt that LeBron James can be the best player in the world. But, that’s not the case as of this very moment. After playing only 55 games due to a groin injury sustained on Christmas Day, LeBron and the Lakers failed to make the postseason. It’s still surprising to many, including myself, that LeBron James hasn’t played in this postseason.
Kawhi Leonard Is The Best Player Right Now
With LeBron missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2004-05 season, that left a huge void, for the time being, as to who the best player in the league is. The best players perform when it matters, and this year, LeBron didn’t even make it to the point. LeBron James dropped the baton, and that left one question. Who wants it? In this case, it was the title of the best basketball player in the world. That question was answered by Kawhi Leonard.
Proving Magic Wasn’t Real
Kawhi and the Raptors faced the Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. In his first playoff game with the Raptors, Toronto dropped the ball, losing 104-101 in Game 1. Following that, the series shifted into Toronto’s control. The Raptors won four straight games en route to defeating the Magic 4-1 to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Kawhi Leonard averaged 27.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while leading the Raptors to the series victory. Along with these averages, Kawhi shot a staggering 55.6% from the field which included an excellent 53.8% from behind the arc. This series was the starting point in what would define Kawhi Leonard as, for now, the best player in the league. Kawhi filled the stat-sheet with fantastic numbers, but it wouldn’t stop there. Kawhi only got better as the postseason progressed.
Delaying The Process
The Raptors faced the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. Led by Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler, with Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris, this series was bound to be a challenging one for Toronto.
Kawhi’s dominance took over from the start with 45 points and 11 rebounds in Game 1. The Raptors win had Kawhi shooting 69.6% from the field including 42.9% from three. Game 2 provided us with similar performances, but this time, in a loss. Kawhi dropped 35 points and recorded 7 rebounds and 6 assists while shooting 13-24 from the field. Game 3, another loss, saw Kawhi drop 30 points again. This time it was 33 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in the road loss.
At this point in the series, the Raptors were trailing 2-1. If anything was evident, it was that Kawhi had to do something different. Of course, the Raptors, as a whole, had to change up their gameplan. But, as the leader, it started with Kawhi. The measure of a superstar is how he performs in times when it matters most. Down 2-1, going on the road, every point mattered for the Raptors.
In Game 4, in Philadelphia, the Raptors put on a gritty performance to tie the series on the road. Just when you thought Kawhi Leonard couldn’t perform any better, he did. Leonard put up 39 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists on 65% shooting. The following Game 5 victory was Kawhi’s worst performance of the series, but it was a win nonetheless.
Up 3-2 in the series, Kawhi notched 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists on 9-20 shooting in the Game 6 loss. However, Game 7 is where his series performance came full circle. At home, all the odds were pointing towards a Raptors win. Leonard shot a whopping 39 times from the field. He converted 16 shots for 41 points in the series-clinching win. With 4.2 seconds left on the clock, Kawhi received the inbound and hit a fadeaway jumper over Joel Embiid as time expired.
For a Sixers team that was heavily predicted by many to go to the Conference Finals, their hopes were crushed with one shot. Kawhi Leonard suddenly personified greatness once again. It’s highly overlooked that this Sixers team had four All-Star caliber players. Yet, it still wasn’t enough. Throughout the series, every matchup Kawhi had just didn’t work. Whether it was Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, James Ennis, or even Joel Embiid, at times, Kawhi was great.
He lifted the city of Toronto and the Raptors past the Sixers. What awaited them next was the best team in the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks.
Suppressing The Hype Surrounding Giannis
The biggest challenge of the Raptors’ season came in the ECF. Milwaukee was coming into the series having beaten the Boston Celtics 4-1 in the second round. They also swept the Detroit Pistons in the first round. If anything was clear, it was that this series wasn’t going to be a cakewalk.
In the first two games, the Raptors were beaten by the Bucks to go down 0-2. Kawhi Leonard dropped 31 in both games, shooting 10-26 in Game 1 and 10-18 in Game 2. In Kawhi Leonard fashion, his greatness was put on display following the two losses. Raptors HC Nick Nurse reminded the team that they had been in that position before. In fact, that was in the previous round where Toronto was down 1-2 going on the road against the Sixers.
It started with Game 3. In a double-overtime victory, Kawhi showed he was the machine we all grew to appreciate. He played a tiring 52 minutes, tallying 36 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists to lead the Raptors to a 118-112 victory at home. In a must-win game, Kawhi stepped up.
In Game 4, the result was no different. It didn’t take much for Kawhi in this game though. With only 19 points and 4 steals, the Raptors were able to tie the series at home. The supporting cast of Toronto came up big in what was considered a must-win game. Tied 2-2, Toronto only needed two wins to advance to their first ever NBA Finals. Through Kawhi, they did just that.
In a hard-played Game 6, Kawhi Leonard dropped 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists while going 5-8 from behind the arc. That was enough for the Raptors to seal home court advantage and win the game 105-99. They say the series doesn’t start until someone wins a road game. And now, the Raptors had odds in their favor. In Game 7, Leonard proved his greatness again. In the biggest game in franchise history, he dropped 27 points, a career-high 17 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on 40.9% shooting. The performance capped off an amazing series by Leonard and gave the Raptors their first trip to the NBA Finals.
The focus here, though, is how Kawhi’s performances translate to him being the best player in the world… for now. You can look at the basic numbers such as points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. However, if you look into how he’s performed on a deeper level, it’s clear that Kawhi Leonard is the best player in the postseason.
After Game 2, it was evident that a change was needed. For Nick Nurse, changes included putting Kawhi Leonard on Giannis Antetokounmpo. To many, Giannis is the MVP this year. Kawhi killed the hype surrounding him. In the following four games of the series, Giannis was held to only 20.5 PPG, on only 43.5% shooting. On top of that, Giannis was held to only 13 total fourth-quarter points. Kawhi Leonard, on top of being an offensive machine, is still the best defender in the NBA.
What About Other Stars?
Kawhi isn’t the only player to take over this year’s playoffs. He’s just the best player in the postseason. Other stars have put on phenomenal performances, but none match-up with Kawhi’s.
James Harden
James Harden, to me, is the MVP this year. However, his stake to be the best player in the world was diminished after he failed to capitalize on the biggest game of his career. With Kevin Durant out, the Rockets were left with the perfect chance to come back from their 3-2 series deficit. They failed. KD’s absence left James Harden the opportunity to silence his critics about his postseason success. He was unable to get the job done, leading to what I saw as his exit from the best player conversation.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant was well on his way to being in this spot. Before his injury, Durant averaged 34.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.9 shooting all while shooting 51.3%. He was certainly on-par with Kawhi Leonard in terms of their performances. However, after sustaining a calf injury in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Kawhi was left to stake his claim. It’ll be another conversation if Durant returns as the same lethal player, but for now, he’s out.
Stephen Curry
Steph Curry is another player who’s been on another level in these playoffs. His performances are sometimes overlooked with KD being the best player on the team. In the games played with Durant this postseason, Curry only averaged 23.2 PPG. However, in the six games without him on the court, Curry holds averages of 34.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. Considering Kevin Durant isn’t on the court, we expect Curry to step up his game a few notches.
And, that’s the reason why Curry can’t be put into this conversation – at least, not yet. Steph Curry should be putting those numbers even with Durant on the floor. In addition, Curry has a lot of help. Even without Durant, he has Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to take some of the pressure off of his back. As I mentioned before with Kawhi, he has a whole city on his back.
Kawhi Leonard Is On Another Level
What more is there to say in regards to Kawhi Leonard? He’s averaging 31.2 points and 8.8 rebounds this postseason while shooting 51%. He has seven games with 35+ points and is outscoring second-place Stephen Curry in total points by 124. His 243 total points against the Sixers is the most in a playoff series since Michael Jordan. And, not only does he lead the playoffs in points, but he also leads in minutes, field goals made, and steals as well. Above all, he’s taken the Raptors to their first ever NBA Finals.
Kawhi has been truly sensational in these playoffs. The fact of the matter is that no player has come close. LeBron James isn’t in the postseason. Which means, until the season opener for the 2019-20 season, Kawhi Leonard has distinguished himself as the best player in the world. Kawhi’s biggest challenge comes with the Raptors preparing to face the Golden State Warriors for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Although it’ll be a challenge, if this postseason has taught us anything, it’s that Kawhi Leonard will be great.