If you watched Game 7 between the Raptors and the 76ers, then you saw what Kawhi Leonard did at the end of the buzzer. The 76ers fought hard to get back into the game. This game was a grind, and both teams held each other to under 100. There was a Jimmy Butler layup to tie the game. At that moment, one could assume that the series was going to overtime. What do we say to overtime in a Game 7? Not today.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Fbme-g-MwA8<\/p>\n
Kawhi Leonard has hit the most clutch shot in Raptors franchise history. That is an indisputable fact.\u00a0 Leonard has shouldered the offensive burden throughout this series, scoring 41 points in Game 7 alone. On a day where the game slowed down and the offense grew stagnant, Leonard came up big when it mattered most. He may have missed a free throw, but he ended up hitting an amazing game winner.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=le2dc05EIhY<\/p>\n
When it comes to Toronto playoffs, fans have been used to seeing mediocrity. The franchise has been to the Eastern Conference Finals once in their history, losing to the Lebron James Cavaliers in 6. They have watched their stars dim their light under the intense atmosphere of the playoffs. The franchise was viewed as unappealing, and some stars refused to play there. Tracy McGrady left to Orlando. Vince Carter forced a trade. Bosh left to form a super team. DeMar was traded because he wasn’t good enough. Toronto has seen stars come and go. None of them could get the Raptors what the team needed. A championship.<\/p>\n
Kawhi Leonard may have single handedly changed the narrative on Toronto. In past years, the Raptors’s ceiling was a 2nd round sweep. In this era of superteams, one can only cringe imagining DeRozan going up against some of the teams in the Eastern Conference this year. Kawhi Leonard has vindicated past playoffs failures. Past teams would be afraid to take on superstars and match them shot for shot. Instead of using someone as an excuse for losses, Kawhi Leonard took it upon himself to will the Raptors to the next round. On days where his supporting cast didn’t show he up, he got them through those games. Leonard has already made a connection with the city itself, by showing Toronto what winning basketball looks like.<\/p>\n
\nIbaka on The Shot: "Oh man. That was incredible. I don't know what to say. I used to play with Russell and KD, I saw a lot of crazy shots, but this one, in the moment too, this one was unbelievable."<\/p>\n
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 13, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n