Kawhi Leonard, that soft-spoken 22-year-old out of San Diego State University, scored a career-high 29 points in San Antonio’s Game 3 win. He was unstoppable in the first quarter as the Spurs set the tone for a dominating win and Kawhi rose to the occasion after two subpar games to start the series.
Here’s Kawhi going off, while simultaneously holding LeBron James to just eight points over the last three quarters of the game.
Leonard was forced to talk with a scrum of reporters after the game, showcasing his trademark sussurating tenor as microphones were haphazardly thrust in his face.
Asked about whether coach Gregg Popovich was offering encouragement while playfully punching him in the chest during the game (around the 3:00 minute mark), Kawhi actually laughed (we’re not kidding), and said, “It was beating me up right there [adorable giggle] He wasn’t really saying nothing, he just kept hitting me.”
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports went more in-depth on how Kawhi revived the Spurs’ fading dynasty.
After taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals, following a trip to the Finals last season, that’s pretty well revived.
(post-game presser via Ashok Gamer; highlights via GoDawkinsReborn; GIFs via @_MarcusD_)
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