NBA Playoffs 2014

[Captain Hate]

It's taken me a while to get my thoughts settled about Kawhi Leonard. Do any of you guys remember him playing for San Diego State because I sure don't. Pop obviously did because he traded George Hill for him, which probably doesn't seem like any big deal but Pop worked hard with Hill to get him to the level he was and he's the type of no-mistake unflashy player he really really likes; plus having a player like him gave Pop tons of options with matchups. In last year's playoffs it became evident that Pop had a major star on his hands because Leonard was second only to Lebron as far as being the star of the Finals. Unfortunately for him, he missed a free throw in crunch time of Game 6 that enabled the Heat to stay within incredible comeback range; prior to that he had been money on free throws and everything else. I didn't know how that would impact him especially because Pop made everybody watch a film of that game to relive the dagger again. And in the first two games of this year's Finals, when Leonard got in early foul trouble, it looked like he may have regressed somewhat from his performance last year.

Wow was that wrong. In addition to being unconscious on offense and sweeping the boards, he played probably the best one on one defense I've ever seen on Lebron. Nobody can stop Lebron when he's in the zone, it just can't be done. What you can do is make him expend a lot of energy for his points and not commit stupid fouls and Kawhi did exactly that, while still being a force on offense. He's increased his shooting range significantly from a year ago and can seemingly drain the three at will. He made Spoelstra's job borderline impossible because if you key on overplaying Pop's passing lanes to disrupt guys getting open looks, Leonard can create his shot on a single defender, even Lebron.

He's a disarmingly modest player and just runs back down the court after he dunks over somebody or buries a three. He doesn't get rattled and just plays his game; as usual Pop knows how to limit his time for maximum effectiveness although it seems like he's out there a lot. I doubt that he'll ever be a regular season MVP because he just won't put up monster numbers in Pop's system but he might end his career with a fist full of rings.

[edit]If Leonard wouldn't have played so well, who does the NBA give the Russell trophy to? It could be argued that Lebron was the best player no matter what, but the only time the league has ever given the award to a player on the losing team iirc was Jerry West when he averaged over 40 a game against the Celtics and the series went seven games. But I can't think of a single other Spur player who stood out, not to belittle anybody's individual contribution to an outstanding team effort.

[jon abbey]

it's really hard to judge guys in the Spurs system. it's not just how much the system spreads the workload around, it's that Popovich rests them over the course of the year so much more than any other coach. as an example, Leonard played 1923 minutes coming into the playoffs, LeBron played 2902. that takes a huge cumulative toll year after year.

don't get me wrong, I don't think there are many players in recent memory who could play a three game stretch like that matched up on LeBron under any circumstances, but I also think that if Leonard was on Orlando or Charlotte, he likely wouldn't even be an All-Star. on the other hand, he just turned 23 this week, so he certainly still has potential upside.

[Captain Hate]

Yeah I agree with every word of that.

[jon abbey]

if Melo really comes back to NY for his potential max of 5/129, let there never again be a doubt that competing for a title is far from his top priority. everyone (both teams and Melo) would likely be better off if NY could do a sign and trade w/ Chicago that included Jimmy Butler, but that is not looking so likely right now.