Kawhi Leonard was one of the best players in the NBA when he was at the top of his game. The now Los Angeles Clippers superstar had his last good playoffs run in 2019 when he went all the way to the Finals and won the championship.
Before beating the Golden State Warriors, he clashed with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, taking on that big challenge. After his team went down 0-2 against the Bucks, Leonard made a decision that changed everything.
“The man is like The Terminator, for real,” former Raptors coach Phil Handy said of Leonard during an appearance on All the Smoke.
“We were down 2-0 against Milwaukee, (head coach) Nick Nurse came into the locker room and said, ‘we’re gonna make some adjustments, we’ll get back Toronto and we’ll be ready.'” Handy explained. “And Kawhi said, ‘the adjustment is I’m guarding Giannis (Antetokounmpo).’ We walked out the locker room.”
"The adjustment is that I'm guarding Giannis."
Kawhi wanted all the smoke vs. Giannis in the 2019 ECF 😤
via @shobasketball, allthesmoke/TW) https://t.co/x93g4x0I2Y
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 17, 2021
This was the only thing Kawhi needed to say and do during that series, as he took over and never looked back. The Raptors won four straight games to reach the NBA Finals, where they’d win their first-ever NBA title, led by the Klaw.
Kawhi Leonard Was A Beast During the 2019 NBA Playoffs
That was a memorable run from Kawhi, who starred in incredible moments, including the series-clinching buzzer-beater against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the playoffs.
With Kawhi guarding him, Giannis scored just 10 points last night in 37 possessions while the Bucks offense posted a very not good 72.9 offensive rating. The Bucks have no answer for the Kawhi-on-Giannis matchup https://t.co/fo4zeOi7TL
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) May 24, 2019
He went on to beat Giannis and the Bucks in six games before taking on the final boss, the reigning defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors. Even with Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson’s injuries, Kawhi played great basketball, leading his team to the promised land and signing his name on the list of the best players in the association.
Those performances earned Leonard a lot of love from fans, but at the same time, it was the last time we could see him playing at the best level during the postseason. He hasn’t had the best time with the Los Angeles Clippers due to his injuries, and some think his time on the Clips is coming to an end.
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