He’s crushing the postseason without breaking a sweat — or, at least that’s what it looks like.
Kawhi Leonard has done it again. After putting up 37- and 35-point games in the first round against the Magic, then 45-, 35- and 33-point outings in the first three games against the 76ers, Leonard erupted yet again for 39 points in a must-win Game 4 victory in Philadelphia.
Leonard’s 39-point performance gave him six 30-point games in the playoffs — the most ever by a Toronto player in a single postseason. (DeMar DeRozan, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, wya?) It also made Leonard the fifth player in NBA history to record at least 150 points, 30 rebounds and 15 assists through the first four games of a playoff series.
The other four players: Michael Jordan, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain. That’s halfway decent company by any measure.
But what sets Leonard apart from the pack is the remarkable efficiency he’s competed with in the playoffs. Toronto’s All-Star is averaging 31.5 points on legendary efficiency: 58 percent from the field, 47 percent from three, and 90 percent from the foul line. The only other players in NBA history to have 50-40-90 club numbers in the playoffs are Kevin Durant, who was the most efficient scorer in NBA Finals history last season, Reggie Miller in 1993, and Rolando Blackman in 1985.
But Durant is able to have such numbers in part because he plays alongside three other All-Stars, including one two-time league MVP. Leonard has no such luxuries.
The Raptors had an impressive regular-season record in games he did not play, but in the playoffs Leonard is everything. In four games against Philadelphia, the Raptors outscored the Sixers by 26 in minutes he played, but were outscored by 34 in a fraction of the time when he was on the bench.
The 76ers are looking to take a 3-1 series lead over the Raptors when the two teams meet at 3:30 ET on ABC.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 5, 2019
If the Raptors want to even the series, they'll need to stop collapsing whenever Kawhi Leonard rests. Toronto is -33 in 27 minutes with Kawhi on the bench this series. pic.twitter.com/k9zeZ1KTld
Again, what makes Leonard so dangerous on the offensive end is his remarkable efficiency. Just take a look at his shot chart. It’s literally been money everywhere on the court.
Kawhi's playoff shot chart:
— Justin Phan (@jphanned) May 5, 2019
Averaging 32.3 points per game on 59/50/86 shooting. pic.twitter.com/DTyAYb1UhG
Kawhi Leonard's last 6 games...
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) May 5, 2019
PPG: 35.5
FG: 62.5%
Mid-range: 64.3%
3P: 52.6%
FT: 86.0%
Absolutely absurd.
His performance looked so effortless, a reporter even asked Leonard whether he broke a sweat against the Sixers. He responded with the most Kawhi Leonard response possible: “That’s not fair to the Sixers. I’m definitely breaking a sweat.”
Kawhi Leonard, asked about him scoring without looking like he's breaking a sweat: "That's not fair to the Sixers. I'm definitely breaking a sweat."
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) May 5, 2019
It would have been easy to assume the opposite after Game 4. Leonard shot 13-of-20 from the field and 5-of-7 from three. Some of his shots just didn’t make any sense.
️ @kawhileonard tallies 39 PTS (5 3PM), 14 REB, 5 AST as the @Raptors tie the series 2-2! #WeTheNorth #NBAPlayoffs
— NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2019
Game 5: Tuesday (5/7), 8pm/et, TNT pic.twitter.com/Fb9rdmP1EE
Again, this is the gamble Masai Ujiri took when he traded DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl for Leonard, an all-world talent coming off an injury who can (and some argue will) leave in free agency this summer. He wanted a dominant two-way talent capable of putting Toronto on his back in the playoffs.
The Raptors got just that. If the rest of the East didn’t know, they surely do now.
from SBNation.com - All Posts http://bit.ly/301Oubu
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