Norman Powell was nearly out of superlatives, invoking the name of The Black Mamba himself, Kobe Bryant, after witnessing Kawhi Leonard trot out a supernatural performance to even the series at 2-2. The Toronto Raptors forward led all scorers with 39 points and 14 rebounds, also playing a game-high 43 minutes in a clutch effort against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday:
“It’s Kobe,” said Powell, according to Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star. “That man is Kobe. He’s a superstar, man. He gets after it. He doesn’t care who’s in front of him, he knows what he’s worth, he knows what he can do… superstars in the league, Kevin Durant, James Harden, he’s up with those guys.”
Leonard made perhaps his most important contribution late in the fourth quarter, uncorking a side-step fadeaway jumper that would crush the Sixers' hopes as they closed the deficit to one. After a stagnant offensive possession, Leonard took on 7-footer Joel Embiid and followed through on his jump shot, beating the buzzer and giving the Sixers a deflating feeling with only a minute left in regulation:
KAWHI LEONARD, NAILS pic.twitter.com/GUB8dLAtZr
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) May 5, 2019
Asked what he thought as the ball went up, Powell invoked The Mamba again:
“Kobe. It’s good. That’s what I was saying after he made that,” said Powell, recalling the shot. “Even when he went up, side-step fadeaway, nothing but net, that’s Kobe right there. He was confident in it. You don’t see him rushed, you see him look up at the clock before it, he created space, he let it fly.”
“I mean, he’s not worried, man. He’s really calm, he’s really patient, he doesn’t get sped up. Even when he had a late turnover where he dribbled off his foot… you see guys holding their head, get upset a little bit. But he’s going to come right back at you.”
Numbers suggest Leonard might be playing better than Bryant ever did in the playoffs, having shot over 60% in each of his four games this series, along with an average of 38 points per game — better than Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and, yes … Michael Jordan himself:
Kawhi is averaging 38 PPG on 62% shooting so far this series.
Jordan averaged over 35 on 60% shooting in one playoff series.
LeBron has never done it.
Durant has never done it.
Kobe never did it.
We are witnessing truly one of the best series by a perimeter player.
Ever.
— Micah Adams (@MicahAdams13) May 5, 2019
Have yourself a postseason, Mr. Kawhi Leonard.
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