SAN ANTONIO — If there was a singular moment all season, it came about six weeks
ago when Kawhi Leonard rose up to stick in a rainbow jumper over Nene and then
appeared right out of the ether at the other end of the court to snuff out a
last-ditch drive by James Harden to reject the Rockets.
“The block is what makes him special,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
In a very different kind of way.
While Harden and Russell Westbrook have traded crazy shots, obscene point totals
and high-flying triple-doubles to make their cases for the MVP Award, Leonard
has stayed down-to-earth to carry the Spurs to 61 wins in their first season
without franchise icon Tim Duncan and now a 2-0 lead on the Grizzlies in the
first round of the playoffs.
If the duel about 200 miles down I-10 between Westbrook and Harden is where the
loud fireworks light up the sky and have the potential to burn down the house,
Leonard is more like flood waters that arrive fast and silent in dead of night,
but no less lethal.
After equaling his career playoff high with 32 points in the series opener,
Leonard came back to eclipse that with 37 in Game 2 along a deadly-efficient
line of 9-for-14 shooting from the field and 19-for-19 at the free throw line as
San Antonio ground out a 96-82 win on Monday night at the AT&T Center.
“He’s a special guy,” Popovich said. “I think he’s the best two-way player in
the league. I don’t think there’s anybody else that does what he does at both
ends of the court, night after night.”
Leonard’s had been a steady rise through his first five NBA seasons, but faced
the question of how he’d fully embrace the official role of team leader in Year
6 without Duncan.
In a full bear hug, it seems.
It was as if he’d been born to the position rather than someone who has toiled
relentlessly through the offseasons to steadily add skills and expand his game.
Now in full bloom as a superstar, Leonard is drawing the double teams from
opposing defenses that one would expect and simply taking them in stride.
“Obviously if I’m getting doubled every single night, then I get more
comfortable at dribbling the ball,” Leonard said. “Being more patient, seeing
where the guys are coming from, starting to bait on the other team, start
getting the hockey assists.”
It fits perfectly into the Spurs’ scheme of constantly moving the ball and
finding the open man. The more Leonard can see the doubles coming, anticipate
from where and spot the teammate that has been left open, the more the offense
will flourish.
But before he looks to pass, Leonard is looking to force the action and make
something happen for himself. He opened the scoring in Game 2 by blowing past
40-year-old Grizzlies would-be defender Vince Carter to slam home a dunk and
then capped off the night by hammering one down right in the face of Memphis’
Marc Gasol.
There were step-back jumpers over outstretched arms and there quick dribbles to
create space for mid-range stabs at the bucket. More than anything, there was
Leonard time and time again using his quick first step or his strength and sheer
will to slip through a crack in the defense to attack the basket. That’s how you
wind up with 19 free throw attempts in a single game. He is now 28-for-28 at the
line in the series. Leonard knows they’re not going to be able to stop him and
so he makes them commit fouls. All the while creating havoc with his defense.
“It’s a comfort to have him there doing what he does for us and it’s a lot of
fun to watch,” said teammate Manu Ginobili. “We are watching the growth of
something very special.”
The consistency of his performance since October has earned Leonard his spot in
the MVP conversation. But it’s what he does from this point on through the
playoffs that can elevate his stature and leave a permanent mark. It was one
thing to deliver a stunning performance that won him the MVP Award of The Finals
in 2014. However, that was a short-term accomplishment. The burden he now
carries is much greater.
“I’m just concentrating on playing basketball and trying to find a way to get
better,” Leonard said.
The deep water keeps rising.
Fran Blinebury has covered the NBA since 1977. You can e-mail him here, find his
archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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