Kawhi Leonard once again proved why he is one of the greatest playoff performers of all time during the first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers came back from two deficits to win the series 4-3 with a 126-111 win in Game 7. The series was the best of the first round as it featured a classic duel between Luka Doncic and Kawhi Leonard, and it was the first series in NBA history where the road team won each of the first six games. The play of Kawhi Leonard has vaulted him back into the best player in the world conversation.
Leonard was magnificent in this series, averaging 32.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1 block per game. His shooting numbers were tremendous as he shot 61% from the field, 43% from three, and 90% from the free-throw line. Leonard’s series was historic as he became the second player in NBA history to average 30 points per game on 60% shooting from the field. The other player, Shaquille O’Neal, did this with an average field goal attempt distance of 4 ft, while Leonard did it with an average distance of 13 ft. He also became only the fourth player to score more than 200 points in a series while shooting over 60%, the first since O’Neal.
Leonard was truly great when his back was against the wall in games 3,4,6 and 7. In those games, Leonard scored 36, 29, 45, and 28 points to help the Clippers win the series. He ultimately showed why he is one of the greatest playoff performers of all-time in games 6 and 7 as he scored a combined 73 points, including his legendary 45 point performance in Game 6. Leonard’s performance in Game 6 was one of the best of his career as he scored 45 points on 72% shooting from the field and 55% shooting from three. He was great in the fourth quarter as he was hitting step-back threes, and he took the challenge of stopping Luka Doncic. This continued in Game 7 as Leonard finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 0 turnovers. He became only the second player with a 25/10/5 game on 0 turnovers in a Game 7 since 1983. The other was Kobe Bryant in 2002.
Critics of Leonard have said that he can’t lead a team, and that he fails to guard the best players anymore. I think Leonard proved them wrong in this series because he put the Clippers on his back. He delivered in every big game in this series, except for Game 5, but he hit big shots when they needed it. Also, he took on the challenge of guarding Luka Doncic in games 6 and 7, and he delivered. His size and length gave Doncic trouble, and he struggled in the fourth quarter of those games. Furthermore, Leonard’s playoff numbers are flying under the radar. Over his last 60 playoff games, Leonard is averaging 29/9/5 on 51/38/89 shooting, and he is only 29 years old.
I think Leonard has put himself back in the best player in the world conversation, and the rest of this postseason will give us the answer. I think it will come down to Leonard or Kevin Durant because he has returned to his old form, and he has put the Brooklyn Nets in a great position to win a championship. However, the Western Conference has opened up for the Clippers now that the Los Angeles Lakers got knocked out. I think that the Clippers are going to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals, and if they win, Kawhi Leonard will regain the best player in the world title that he held in 2019.
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