This is just Kawhi Leonard's first (and possibly only) season with the Toronto Raptors, yet he is already making a major mark on the franchise.
On Saturday night, Leonard came through with a masterful performance to lead the Raptors to a 108-95 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1.
Leonard scored a playoff career-high 45 points on a super efficient 16-of-23 shooting. He also made 10-of-11 from the foul line and knocked down three 3-pointers to round out his night.
Kawhi's 45 points is now the second-highest in Raptors playoff history. The only one ahead him? Vince Carter.
On May 11, 2001, Vinsanity dropped a 50-piece, which still stands as the most points any Raptor has scored in a playoff game. Coincidentally, this also came in a home victory against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of their East Semifinals matchup.
Carter shot 19-of-29 from the field on that night and also made nine triples. Unfortunately, as history has written out, the Raptors eventually lost the series 4-3 after Carter narrowly missed a corner 3-pointer that could have sent the 2001 Raptors to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Nevertheless, despite Carter still holding the all-time Raptors single-game playoff scoring record, The Klaw can one-up Mr. Half-Man, Half-Amazing by leading this 2019 squad to the conference finals.
They certainly took the first step with a convincing victory on Saturday. The Raptors controlled pretty much every facet of the game, with Leonard as the centerpiece of their onslaught in Game 1.
The two-way superstar showcased the entire repertoire of his offensive skill set, while also anchoring Toronto's juggernaut defense on the other end. They look to surge ahead to a 2-0 series lead with another home victory on Monday.
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