Superstar forward Kawhi Leonard has led the Toronto Raptors to the NBA Finals in a historic fashion.
In 18 games in the Eastern Conference playoffs, Leonard averaged 31.2 points on 50.7 percent shooting from the field and 38.8 percent from the 3-point area. With his exploits, he recorded the sixth-most points scored in a single playoff run before the NBA Finals.
Included in the list are LeBron James, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant.
Kawhi joins some elite company when it comes to #NBAPlayoffs scoring! 👀 pic.twitter.com/QmmBjRVfsY
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 26, 2019
There is no denying that Leonard has been extremely sensational in the playoffs, but his performance is also a testament to how inconsistent his teammates were prior to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Kawhi had to carry much of the offensive load in the first two rounds of the playoffs; however, against the Milwaukee Bucks, his teammates finally stepped up. After being down in the series 0-2, the Raptors responded emphatically and shutting down their opponent's best players.
Toronto got significant contributions from guys like Norman Powell, Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka. Starters Marc Gasol and Kyle Lowry have also provided much-needed assistance to Leonard to help the Raptors win the next four games and clinch the series.
The Raps will now be facing a team that's better than any opponent they've ever met in the East. The Golden State Warriors have been in the Finals for five straight years, gunning for their fourth championship in that span. Leonard and his teammates will have to double, or even triple their efforts on both ends of the floor if they want to have a better chance of pulling off an upset.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be on Thursday, May 30, in Toronto.
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