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Match 2 of the regular season resembled game 7 of the Eastern Conference final, with the Raptors winning an electric 108-101 Celtic victory on Friday in a match as exciting as possible at this point of the season. . . It was not the best game played on both sides, especially at the beginning, but the competition was not up to par. The Toronto defense was nasty. Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry were both great. Danny Green was a top of the game over-25 in 32 minutes. But one player was above all and all the others: Kawhi Leonard.
The line is impressive: 31 points and 10 boards, a perfect 9-in-9 from the free throw line. But what is terrifying is that Leonard always looked rusty in places. His shot was not falling to start the game. He finished 10 of 25 of the field. Two games in the season, he is already in the form of the most useful player and yet he will clearly improve. Knowing this, as soon as you have to start talking about these things, you can not help but let your imagination go to know how good this Raptors team can be.
Even at the beginning of the fighting, Leonard was heading for the terrain he wanted. With ease. Once they began to fall, he scored from all over the ground in every way imaginable. He hit the trios. He went to work at the post office, forcing the Celtics to double, cashing patiently 15-foot fadea. He arrived at the edge. He went from one ocean to the other in transition. Not having seen him play in real games for so long, you forget how strong he is with the ball. The way he can simply intimidate the defenders of their post with a push. Like that:
You hear that guys have fast first steps, but with Kawhi, it's more of his last step in power. The way he ends moves. This clip you just watched is a perfect example. He did not beat Gordon Hayward with his first step. He just got leverage, but this was the last step, the last dribble to power that threw Hayward and turned a disputed shot into a rabbit.
In this next clip, Leonard is Jaylen Brown, but rather than quickly put the ball on the glass, as many players would, he uses an extra dribble to increase the separation and turn a superposition in finesse dunk.
This neighbor is my favorite. First, Kawhi blows his way through the pick-and-roll and goes downhill, but Al Horford has his chest in front of him all the way … until Leonard does the latter not in power and dribble to separate and mount without dispute.
For good measure, Kawhi also composed at a distance:
You've heard about three-level markers – the Durants, the Currys, of course, LeBron. Kawhi is right there with each of them. I still think some people do not realize it, considering him more like a defender who has become a good offensive player. No, he's not a good offensive player. It's a big one.
When you add this type of three-level marker to the Raptors, who were just not as versatile with DeMar DeRozan, and then you take into account the defense (the Kawhi individually and the Raptors collectively), well, Let's just say Friday night was a powerful reminder that the Celtics have the company at the top of the Eastern Conference. These two teams will be better by the end of the season and if we have the chance to see them in a conference final match, it will be unbelievable – especially because unlike the East winner. the past two years, both teams already feel able to push at least the winner of the West to the limit. Again, I know we're ahead of the curve, but with Kawhi looking like this, it's hard not to let your imagination run to the full potential of this Toronto team (suddenly exciting!).
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