There have been moments throughout this see-saw first-round sequence between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks which have pressured folks to ask the query: Has Luka Doncic handed Kawhi Leonard on the record of the NBA’s finest gamers? Earlier than this postseason the suggestion most likely would have been dismissed with a Kawhi-esque chuckle, however Doncic has closed the hole significantly with the best way he has performed on this sequence.
Nonetheless, with a dominant efficiency within the Clippers’ 104-97 Sport 6 victory over the Mavericks on Friday, Leonard reminded all of us why he’s within the dialog because the league’s finest participant. Leonard tied a playoff profession excessive with 45 factors, 29 of which got here within the second half, on 18-for-25 capturing, together with 5 for 9 from 3-point vary. The Clippers carried a two-point lead with simply over three minutes remaining within the recreation, when Leonard rattled off eight straight factors to maintain their championship hopes alive.
“He destroyed us,” Doncic stated of Leonard after the loss. “That’s what it’s. He had a hell of a recreation. That’s what he does.”
Doncic acquired a firsthand take a look at Leonard throughout that essential stretch within the fourth quarter. Leonard hunted Doncic by calling for whoever he was guarding to set a display screen and power a swap. That left Doncic on an island in opposition to the red-hot Leonard, who took full benefit. First, Leonard really catches Doncic on his heels and has an open take a look at a step-back 3-pointer, however doesn’t shoot.
As an alternative he takes a pair dribbles in and hits his patented mid-range jumper.
After that, Kawhi smells blood. Subsequent time down the court docket, he motions for his teammates to filter the left facet, and brings Marcus Morris over to power the swap onto Doncic. Maybe remembering that final possession he caught Doncic leaning on a step-back, this time he lets it fly from properly past the 3-point line and knocks it down.
Leonard as soon as once more goes after Doncic on the following Clippers possession, however this time Dorian Finney-Smith has seen sufficient and involves double-team him. The Clippers fail to take benefit and the ball finally ends up again within the palms of Leonard, who makes an ungardable step-back 3-pointer over Finney-Smith to offer his workforce an eight-point lead with 1:40 remaining.
The tactic of looking Doncic, no less than partially, got here from the Clippers teaching employees. Tyronn Lue stated after the sport that they seen Doncic appeared fatigued down the stretch and needed to power him to play protection in opposition to Leonard or Paul George.
“We may see [Doncic] was sporting down and getting drained,” Lue stated. “So our final six-minute bundle, we … tried to get a mismatch they usually was switching, so Kawhi was in a position to make the most of it, and P.G. was as properly, they usually began to double-team. When he’s drained and worn out, that’s when we’re going to attempt to make the most of the switching.”
Leonard stated he got here out with extra of a defensive mindset in opposition to the Mavericks on Friday, taking the task of guarding Doncic for a lot of the sport, however he acquired extra aggressive offensively when he began feeling it within the third quarter.
“I didn’t wish to go residence. I needed to exert myself into the sport,” Leonard stated after Sport 6. “My teammates discovered me. I acquired some open seems and knocked them down, and I simply saved going from there.”
Leonard should excel as soon as once more in Sunday’s Sport 7 if the Clippers are going to keep away from elimination, and he has skilled each side of the win-or-go-home state of affairs. After making some of the spectacular Sport 7 pictures in NBA historical past two years in the past to ship residence the Philadelphia 76ers en path to a Toronto Raptors championship, Leonard shot simply 6 for 22 from the sphere and failed to attain within the fourth quarter of final postseason’s Sport 7 loss within the bubble in opposition to the Denver Nuggets, who accomplished an inconceivable comeback from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Clippers.
As you would possibly anticipate, Leonard stated he doesn’t take into consideration his previous experiences and is as a substitute specializing in the long run. Whether or not he feels it or not, nonetheless, the load of the Clippers franchise is hanging on his chiseled shoulders as soon as once more.
“That’s what I attempted to instill with [my teammates] now: To be sure that we maintain preventing, don’t quit, and also you by no means know what may occur,” Leonard stated after the sport. “Simply have religion after which, you already know, play arduous, have enjoyable. That’s all you are able to do.”
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