When he first arrived in Toronto, Kawhi Leonard was already a Finals MVP. But in 2019, his aura was different. There were memorable press conferences.
I'm a fun guy. [laughter] Legendary [music] oneliners. What it do, baby?
And unforgettable playoff moments, including the greatest shot in Raptors history. Kawhai played like a hybrid between Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. [music] With Scotty's height and 7 foot3 wingspan, but also enormous hands and broad shoulders like MJ, Kawhai was a monster on both ends of the court.
Like Pippen, he guarded the best opposing players. He blocked all stars. He walled up the MVP in the playoffs.
He stole the ball without looking. Offensively, Kawhai truly looked like the second coming of Jordan. Leonard could get his shot off anytime he wanted and his mid-range was automatic.
The Claw was scoring gamewinners in the regular season. He was hitting big shots in the playoffs and averaging over 30 points per game. This is how Kawi Leonard delivered one of [music] the greatest individual seasons in NBA history, transforming a losing franchise and [music] redefining its culture in the one place he never even wanted to be.
The story of Kawhi Leonard playing for the Raptors started in 2017. But back then, Kawhai was already a champion, a finals MVP, and a two-time defensive player of the year. However, 2017 is when his offense [music] caught up with his defense.
He finished third in the MVP voting and during the playoffs, the Claw looked like the best player in the world, averaging 28 points, eight rebounds, [music] and 4. 5 assists while shooting well above 50490. But then, Zaza Pachulia deliberately planted his foot under Leonard, who awkwardly fell and injured his left leg.
He missed the rest of the Western Conference Finals and the start of the next season. When he finally returned to the court, Kawhai only played nine games before citing pain in his right quad. Leonard was dissatisfied with the Spurs medical treatment, feeling the team rushed his comeback before he was fully healthy.
Kawhai then sought advice from specialists outside the organization and soon enough he refused to attend Spurs games. Nobody knew what was going on because Kawhai didn't want to speak to anyone in the organization. And [music] on June 15th, the inevitable happened.
Kawhai requested a trade and named [music] the Lakers as his preferred destination. But the Spurs historically never made big deals with the Lakers, [music] one of their biggest rivals. The Lakers also didn't want to spend a bunch of players and draft picks [music] for Kawawaii since he only had a year left on his contract and they believed they could get him a year later in free agency.
Also, trading for Kawawaii was a risk due to his injury and contract [music] situation. But Messiah Jiri, the GM of the Toronto Raptors, decided to swing for the fences. Messiah traded for Kawaii and Danny Green, sending Demar D Rozan, Yakob Purle, and a firstround pick to San Antonio.
Leonard didn't want to go to Canada. And the Raptors fans weren't delighted either since D. Rozan was a fan favorite and was the all-time leading scorer for the franchise.
Eugiri also fired Dwayne Casey, who had just won the coach of the year award. And in his place came Nick Nurse, [music] a rookie who previously only coached teams in the UK and the G-League. Many people thought the Raptors made a mistake.
But when Kawawaii first appeared in a Raptors uniform during media day, he broke the internet. In the aftermath of the press conference, Kawawaii got nicknamed fun guy. How would you describe yourself?
Uh, I'm a fun guy. [laughter] But when the season started, it was not fun for the Raptors opponents. [music] During his debut for the Raptors, Leonard had 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 116 to 104 win over the Cavaliers.
2 days later, he had 31 points and 10 rebounds in a [music] 113 to 101 win over the Celtics. The Raptors started the season with six consecutive wins and in their first 13 games, they only lost once to the Bucks in a game where Kawhai didn't play. The fun guy became the first player in history to deliberately use load management, sitting out back-to-back games to avoid reagravating his injury.
But because he was a superstar and the team was winning, everybody in Toronto was okay with it. And how could they not be okay? Kawawaii was playing the best basketball of his career.
In the first couple of months of the season, it was clear that Leonard was miles ahead of D. Rozan in terms of contending for a championship. Apart from having the best start in franchise history, there was a sense of excellence that came with Kawaii when only a true superstar can deliver.
Winning was expected. Clutch games were delivered with poise. And almost every game featured a spectacular highlight.
No look steals against the Timberwolves, 37 points in an overtime banger against Kevin Durant and the Warriors. Careerhigh 45 points in a win over Utah. 30 points and a career-high eight assists and a bankedin gamewinner against Brooklyn.
The claw raised the standard of the whole team, the entire franchise, and with it the country of Canada. Centering his game plan around Kawaii, Nick Nurse proved to be an excellent offensive coach who has modernized Toronto's game. Kyle Lowry thrived as the second option.
[music] He was the robin to Kauai's Batman and was second in the league in assists. Around Leonard and Lowi, Eugi gathered a bunch of dogs who played defense, ran the break, and shot threes. Serge Ibaka who used to play power forward was now exclusively playing center where his shot blocking prowess could be used as he no longer had to chase smaller players on the perimeter.
The move of Ibaka to center left the power forward position vacant and it was given to Pascal Siakum who played with more energy than any other player in the NBA doing most of his damage as an elite finisher in transition. Danny Green completed the starting five playing phenomenal on ball defense while shooting a careerhigh from three. The Raptors also had a strong bench featuring Fred Van Vleet, Norman Powell, Ojaninobi, and Yonas Valenunis, who was later traded mid-season for Marcus Saul.
The team had almost no weak points as Toronto was loaded with elite role players who were centered around Kauaii, like planets orbiting the sun. At the All-Star break, Toronto had the second best record in the league with 43 wins and 16 losses with Kauaii and Lowry making the All-Star team. But as the season continued, the fun guy turned on the extra gear with several MVP-like performances.
In the first game after the break, Kawhai spoiled D. Rozan's return to Toronto, stealing the ball from him in the final moments of the game and dunking the ball at the other end to win. On March 1st against Portland, Kawhai scored 38 points, including a gamewinner with four bounces, something that he would repeat 3 months later.
And even though he famously said, "For me, these are just practices and playoffs is when it's time to, you know, lace them up. " When he played, Kawhai looked like the best all-around player in the league, averaging 26. 6 points, 7.
3 rebounds, 3. 3 assists, and 1. 8 steals per game.
But because he missed 22 games due to load management, during which the Raptors went 17 and five, Kawaii wasn't in strong consideration for the MVP award, which went to Jiannis Ando. Leonard ultimately made the second allNNBA and second alldefensive team. However, individual accomplishments never meant much to Kawaii since he always raised his performance in the playoffs.
But in game one of the first round series against Orlando, the weather in Canada got even colder [music] as the Raptors got frozen by DJ Augustine who hit a game-winning three. However, Kuwai didn't panic and unlike previous Raptors teams, he didn't allow his guys to lose confidence. For the rest of the series, Toronto dominated, [music] winning in five games with Leonard averaging 28 points on 56% shooting from the field and 54% [music] from deep.
But the second round gave the Raptors arguably their toughest possible opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers with Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, and Ben Simmons. However, in game one, the Sixers didn't stand a chance because the fun guy played the best game of his career. Leonard had a playoff career-high 45 points on 16 of 23 shooting to lead the Raptors in a 108 to 95 victory.
He became just the second player in Raptors history to eclipse 40 points in a playoff game, joining Vince Carter, who scored 50 in 2001. But the Sixers were a more talented team on paper, winning the next two games and were on the verge of winning game four, which would likely have shifted the series in their favor. With one minute remaining, the Raptors were up by a point with Ben Simmons and Embiid glued to Kawhi Leonard.
But it still wasn't enough to stop him. The Raptors clinched on to victory, tying the series thanks to 39 points and 14 rebounds from Leonard, which further popularized his catchphrase. Boardman gets paid.
Through four games, Kawhai averaged 38 points per game with nine rebounds and four assists. But those numbers sound even more insane when you discover that he shot 62% from the field and 46% for three, while the rest of the Raptors only shot 24% from deep despite a plethora of open shots created by Leonard. Leonard's performance could be compared to LeBron James, who regularly dragged mediocre teams deep into the playoffs.
But in game five, the rest of the Raptors finally woke up, started hitting shots, and Toronto cruised to an easy victory. But the Sixers countered in game six, and it was all to play for in game seven. The two teams were evened out, and both teams could win as the deciding game featured 14 ties and 18 lead changes.
However, [music] when Jimmy Butler tied the game with 4 seconds to go, the Raptors had one final possession, and everybody knew who would get the ball. And what happened next was history. The corner for the winter.
The claw finished the game with 41 points on 16 of 39 shooting, producing more than 50% of the Raptors points. The four doink shot was the first game seven buzzer beater in NBA history, which was the icing on the cake of the phenomenal series Kauaii played. 35 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists on average.
And by far the best offensive rating out of every player. The Raptors offense, which was predicated on ball and player movement, and working together to generate quality shots, was often replaced by the Kawawaii offense. Give the ball to Kawawaii and get out of the way.
And amazingly, it worked. The ease with which he scored was [music] simply astonishing. And due to strong defense by Simmons, Butler, and Embiid, Leonard had to work hard for his points, either through pick and roll, driving to the basket, [music] or taking shots off the dribble.
And he scored seemingly every time, doing it with the nonchalants you'd expect in [music] practice. But like Kobe famously said, "Job's not finished. " In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Raptors faced the league MVP, Giannis Tenduko, and the mighty Milwaukee Bucks, [music] who had the best regular season record.
And in the first two games of the series, it seemed like the Raptors couldn't stop Giannis as the Greek freak led Milwaukee to a two nothing lead. During a postgame press conference, one reporter asked Leonard, "Where do you go from here, Kawhai? " To which Leonard gave a dead pan answer like only he could.
Wanted to Toronto game three. Kawhai's confidence never wavered. And for the rest of the series, he was the primary defender on Giannis.
With Leonard guarding him for the majority of game three and the rest of the Raptors forming a wall in the paint to stop his drives, Giannis scored just 12 points on five for 16 shooting. Even though he had 23 rebounds and seven assists. [music] However, thanks to George Hill and Malcolm Brogden, who scored 46 points off the bench, the Bucks kept the game close all night long and it took two overtimes to decide the winner.
But like many times before, Kawhai showed up when it mattered most, scoring eight out of Toronto's [music] 15 points in the second OT, making all of his shots on route to 36 points as the Raptors beat Milwaukee 118 to 112. Game four was a blowout as Toronto controlled the lead the entire night. But in game five, the Bucks built a big lead in the first quarter.
And yet, thanks to 35 points by Leonard and seven made threes by Fred Van Vleet, the Raptors completed a comeback in the fourth quarter to win 105 to 999. Leonard dished nine assists in game five, more than he has ever recorded in any game, regular season or playoffs. And all nine set up Raptors threes.
And Leonard had a direct hand in 59% of Toronto's points. Still, in game six, [music] the Bucks took a big lead once more. And this time, the Raptors dug themselves a 15-point hole.
It looked like the series would head back to Milwaukee for game seven, but Leonard produced a 10-0 run to end the third quarter with eight points and [music] one assist, which cut the deficit to five. The Raptors ultimately went on to a 26-3 run to take control of game six punctuated by an acrobatic left-hand dunk by Kawhai over Giannis, which was a huge momentum swing and the proverbial nail in the Bucks coffin. Toronto won four games in a row to make their first NBA finals with Kawawaii averaging 30, 10, and four while playing gritty bluecollar defense on the MVP.
Giannis averaged 27 points per game through the first two games [music] in which Leonard guarded him on 12% of possessions. In the final four games, Kawhai guarded him roughly 45% of the time. On those possessions, [music] Giannis scored a total of 25 points and missed 20 of 30 shots.
"He's as even killed maybe as I've ever seen," Nick [music] Nurse said during the Bucks series. That spreads pretty quickly around the locker room. And on top of that, he makes a lot of big plays.
"The Fun Guy had sent Canada into a frenzy. But in the NBA finals, they faced Golden State, [music] a dynasty playing in its fifth consecutive finals. However, this time around, the Warriors didn't have Kevin Durant, who was nursing a calf injury, but they still had Steph, Clay, Drymond, and Iguodala.
Kawhai was also hurt. The quad he had been load managing all season was reinjured during the Milwaukee [music] series. However, even though he was slightly hobbled, Kawawaii was still an offensive savant, and despite only making five for 14 from the field in game one, he made 10 out of 12 free throws to finish with 23 points.
But the real hero of the first Finals game in Raptors history [music] was Pascal Seakkum who was unstoppable driving to the basket, finishing with 31 points on 14 for 17 shooting as Toronto won 118 to 109. In game two, Leonard finished with 34 [music] points and 14 rebounds. But none of his teammates could really buy a bucket that night as Toronto only shot 37% from the field and 29% from deep and the Warriors [music] even the series.
After the game, Nurse told his players they should head to Oracle looking to get one win. F that," Leonard said in the locker room. "Let's go get them both.
" And with that kind of leadership, the Raptors were convinced that they would do it. In game three, every Toronto player shot 50% from the field or better. And led by Kawhai's 30 points, they survived Steph Curry's barrage of three-pointers as the greatest shooter in NBA history finished with 47 points.
Playing without Klay Thompson, who injured his hamstring, the Warriors had no reliable options without Steph, whom the Raptors guarded with a box-in-one defense, something that was never seen before in the NBA. But Klay returned in game four. And in the first quarter, every Raptor outside of Kawaii was awful.
Leonard made five of his eight shots in the first period. While the rest of his teammates shot one for 13, and the Raptors fell into an early deficit. Still, as he did countless times that season, Kawhai was there to bail the Raptors out.
In the third quarter, he scored 17 points, almost outscoring the Warriors by himself, and he finished the game with 36 as the Raptors notched a convincing 105 to92 win, one game away from winning the title. However, against all odds, the Warriors received a surprising gift before game five, the return of Kevin Durant. Even though he wasn't fully healed, KD couldn't pass up on the opportunity to help his teammates and win another championship.
And with him in the lineup, the Warriors were a completely different team. Durant showed it in the first few possessions where his role was reduced to a stretch four catch and shoot option. but his mere presence opened the floor and forced the Raptors to change their defense on Steph and Clay, reminding everyone how lethal the Warriors were with three of the greatest shooters in the league.
Golden State made seven threes out of 11 attempts in the first quarter, and the only reason they didn't have a big lead was that they kept turning the ball over. [music] The game was played at a frenetic pace, and it was the greatest bad game ever with plenty of mistakes, but filled with big shots and exciting action all over the court. Defensively, KD was also a huge boost for the Warriors and was one of the rare guys who could bother Kawhai with his height and wingspan.
But early in the second quarter, Durant tried to drive by Sergbaka when he heard a pop and fell to the floor. His Achilles was gone. With KD out, Toronto was ready to celebrate.
Some actually did celebrate, including Drke. Confetti crammed under the roof of the Scotia Bank Arena was waiting to rain down on the crowd. But the Warriors fought like crazy.
They had a six-point lead coming into the fourth quarter until Kawhai brought out the big guns. once again firing on all cylinders [music] and scoring 10 straight points in a span of two minutes to give the Raptors a six-point lead with three minutes to go. Toronto had the momentum and the champions were knocked down.
But then instead of going for the knockout, the Raptors called a timeout which gave Golden State a [music] chance to regroup. After the timeout, Toronto only scored two more points and the Warriors miraculously escaped with a 106 to 105 victory in one of the most dramatic games of all time. Game six was the last ever played in the Oracle Arena in Oakland before the Warriors moved to San Francisco and the Dubs wanted to extend the series with all the energy they had.
Game [music] six clay was once again in full effect as Thompson led the way for the Warriors with 18 points at the half while Kyle Lowry countered with 21 as the Raptors held a three-point lead. But in the third, Lowry cooled off and Klay stayed hot, scoring 12 more points and 30 overall with more than 2 minutes left in the third. However, while trying to finish a fast break, Klay got fouled and fell to the floor, grimacing in pain.
Thompson tore his ACL, and while he still attempted to come back, the game and the season were over for him. And without him, the Warriors couldn't hold up Kawawaii and [music] the Raptors, who won 114 to 110 to win the series in six games, bringing Canada its first NBA championship. And even though this was the [music] worst shooting series for Kawaii during the 2019 playoff run, he still averaged 28.
5 [music] points, 9. 8 rebounds, 4. 2 two assists, two steals, and [music] 1.
2 blocks, after which he deservingly won the finals MVP. The haters will say that the Warriors would have secured the three repeated if KD and Clay were healthy, and they're probably right, but injuries are part of the sport. And don't forget that Kawhai played hobbled during the 2019 playoffs, too.
Kauaii's performance in the 2019 NBA playoffs was nothing short of remarkable, as he led all players in minutes, points, rebounds, steals, free throws, and field goals in the postseason. Leonard finished the postseason with the third most points ever in one playoff, trailing only Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Since 1984, only three guys averaged more playoff points on a championship team.
Jordan, who did it six times, and Elijahan and Shaq, who did it once. Leonard's 30. 5 points per game was the highest playoff scoring average since 2000.
But unlike some other prolific scorers, Kawawaii got his points with tremendous efficiency. He shot 49% from the field, 38% from three, and 89% from the free throw line for a true shooting of 62%, which made Leonard the first Finals MVP to eclipse 30 [music] points per game with 60% true shooting during an entire playoff run. Later joined by Giannis and Joic.
The fun guy remained a world-class defender, guarding one through four and wreaking havoc in the passing lanes. But during that 2019 playoff run, his offense was also polished with a compact [music] but functional handle that allowed Kawhai to use his strength and size for easy buckets. Whether he was driving to the basket or pulling up from mid-range, Leonard was automatic and his form was perfect with every shot looking like it was going to fall.
His upper body strength, the relative ease it required [music] him to get a shot off, and the angle and positioning of his fadeaways, Kawhai's buckets looked nearly identical to those of Michael Jordan. Now, you could say that Kobe was more similar to MJ in terms of competitiveness and the charisma he had off the court, and you'd probably be correct. But in terms of actual play, the similarities in strength, hand size, and shooting efficiency, Kauai's [music] 2019 playoff run was a carbon copy of Jordan and one of the best playoff runs in NBA history.
What's more, fun guy. What's up, baby? What it do, baby?
Yeah. Thank you for watching and if you like this video, we have another one for you right here.
