On Sunday evening, Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard hit the biggest shot in Raptors playoff history. Off balance and falling out of bounds, Leonard somehow got the shot off over Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. As the entire crowd held their breath, the ball hit the rim three times before finally settling in. The elated Raptors began celebrating, while the shocked Sixers walked off the floor.
Philadelphia players weren't the only ones shocked the shot went in. Fox Sports commentator Skip Bayless was adamant the game-winner was pure luck. The outspoken analyst broke down his views of the shot on his show.
"That shot was 1000% luck; that was simply the luckiest shot that ever fell to win a playoff game. Ever. Ever. Ever. No. 2 actually had the audacity after the game … to say, 'I work on that shot every day in practice.' No, you don't. Baloney." — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/GdhwNi4150
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) May 13, 2019
Sure, Bayless might have a point that it was lucky that the shot fell. Any shot from that angle that bounces three times before going in requires a little bit of good fortune. Still, you can't take away anything from the fact that Leonard even managed to get it off over a seven footer and get it towards the rim.
Additionally, it's certainly possible that Leonard practices a baseline fadeaway in practice. Perhaps he can't match the difficulty or the pressure of the shot he made on Sunday, but Leonard proved in the series that a mid-range jumper is a huge part of his offensive repertoire.
Lucky or not, the shot fell. Now, the Raptors can look forward to focusing on beating the Milwaukee Bucks and reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
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