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TORONTO – A night where Kawhi Leonard scored 35 points, his best performance of the young season so far, the game being played 73 feet from the Raptors hoop.
Early in the second quarter, the Minnesota Timberwolves ran and reduced the Toronto lead to five, Gorgui Dieng tried to thread an ambitious rebound-pbad to the cut Jimmy Butler. Sniffing the game, Leonard broke it, plunging into the alley with his back to the smuggler and choking the balloon with his chest.
This is not the type of game you usually see at the head of a group of highlights. This is not the type of game you usually see: a flight without glance and diving. It has become viral fast.
Did he want to do it? Maybe he was lucky, you know, in the right place at the right time? If you know Leonard and his work, you know that luck has nothing to do with it, nor does the forward superstar do anything on the ground.
"I've already seen it," said Danny Green, who spent seven seasons with Leonard in San Antonio. "I do not think that half the time, he steals the ball, he sees it. I think his hand is spinning straight to the ball and he's just touching it, still doing it as if nothing had happened. "
"It's instinct," said head coach Nick Nurse. "React quickly and know that you can play with your length and that kind of stuff by staying with and finishing games."
"[It was] impressive. We showed it at least twice to our team. I think we showed it at half-time last night and during today's defensive fixture. The fact is that if one of your best players gets dirty and gets on the ground, then we should all get dirty and get to the ground to play games. "
With Wednesday's 112-105 victory over Minnesota, the Raptors have improved to 5-0 this season, matching their best start to the year in the hustle and bustle of the franchise. Kyle LowryHis steamy pace, Green's hot shot, the constant play of Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas – The gigantic fingerprints of Leonard illustrate the first successes of his team.
The beginning of the Kawhi era in Toronto looks like this: 112 points on 84 shots (51% of the field, 47% of the three points) in 140 minutes in four games. Not bad for a guy who is still getting fit after missing most of last season with a quad injury.
After years of hard work, Leonard has become a dominant offensive force. The ease with which it reaches the rim or creates a separation on the perimeter is remarkable for a player without the blazing speed Russell Westbrook or the athletic elite of one James Lebron. His game is based on power, patience and precision. Nothing is rushed, no movement wasted. He knows where he wants to go and he gets there.
His improved ability to shoot and score is what makes him a perennial MVP candidate, but his defensive prowess remains what makes him special to watch. Twice winner of the defensive player of the year, he achieves subtle things in this regard. They are not as catchy as a crossover that breaks ankle or an open alley, but they are equally impressive.
Wednesday was the flight without appearance. A few days earlier, in Monday's decisive win over Charlotte, he forced Cody Zeller commits a three-second violation in the restricted area after the Hornets center seized the ball directly under the edge.
"His defensive play is similar to his offensive game," Nurse said. "It can hurt you from the outside, it can hurt you from the inside, it can protect the guys from dribbling, it can play all facets on both sides. He has won the defensive player of the year award (twice) before and we probably see why, a little bit, it only makes lightning in some of these games. "
In his early years with raptors, Vince Carter would be famous to do at least one "I can not believe that he just did that" play every night, usually a dunk. They were really like playing, getting out of their seats, without the benefit of Twitter, reliving them again and again immediately afterwards. And it's not just the fans of the team watching. Carter and his star power have drawn the attention of basketball fans everywhere. For the first time, the Raptors were a television not to be missed.
They have never had a player able to attract this kind of audience since, until now. The Raptors will play 15 games on US national television (ESPN and TNT) this season, a record since the Carter era (2001-02). To put this in perspective, they made only 20 appearances on US national television between 2004-2005 – the year Carter was traded – and last season.
Chris Bosh, DeMar DeRozan, Lowry are all great players and deserving stars who have each scored the franchise, but in a league led by superstars, Leonard is in the top category.
Just like Carter, Leonard will do something amazing almost every night, but most of his moments "I can not believe he's just done it" get on the defensive, where he's on the point of imposing himself as a great player. . Look at your own risk. Whenever you are in the field, you may see something you have never seen before.
If you took these Carter years for granted, you are probably not alone. The Raptors were a young franchise at the time and Toronto was still a relatively new city for basketball. Carter stormed the league and he was doing it with the Raptors' uniform. It was surreal, and it seemed to last forever, or at least a lot longer. And just like that, Carter was gone, as were the fun and iconic moments of basketball.
Nearly fifteen years later, the fan base understands the importance of witnessing greatness – no matter when, where and when. They loved and lost, they have had ups and downs, successes and failures, hope and heartbreak.
Given the capricious nature of professional sport and the circumstances that led Leonard to Toronto in the first place, it is even more important to savor his mandate. Whether it lasts for months or years, Raptors fans see something that deserves to be appreciated.
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