The Klaw. Kawhi Leonard. Arguably one of the greatest players in the league today. As the NBA Finals just concluded it is only appropriate to recognize and appreciate the greatness we are/have witnessed from this future Hall of Famer.
Let's start from 1 year ago. Kawhi had just recovered from a left quad injury courtesy of Zaza Pachulia. He was traded by the San Antonio Spurs to a new team, a new country. With nothing familiar, except the basketball skills he left on the floor before the injury he had basically nothing to look forward to except the chance to play and compete once again. After cruising through the season with a 58-24 win/loss record they landed the number 2 seed. Even though they had a chance to compete and play to get the NBA Finals the task was daunting. There was a fully-stacked Milwaukee Bucks Team on the East they had to overcome. When and if they got past them, they would also need to face the defending champs: Golden State Warriors. After overcoming all odds, including the buzzer beater shot (which bounced multiple times on the rim before going down) against the Philadelphia 76ers, Leonard managed to pull his team the finals.
Fast forward to game 6 of the finals. Raptors are up 3-2 and they have the chance to win Toronto their first ever NBA Championship. With Kevin Durant out indefinitely and Klay Thompson leaving midway through the game, it was time Kawhi and the Raptor's time to seize the moment. And they did just that. Final score 114-110. Kawhi is a champion once again.
