As the NBA regular season grinds down, the San Antonio Spurs are, right on cue, rounding into form for the playoffs. They're 9-1 over their last 10 games, and Kawhi Leonard has been creeping up on that 2014 Finals MVP-level of performance that's escaped him for much of the season due to injuries. Finally healthy in March, he averaged 33.4 MPG, 19.3 PPG on 53 percent shooting, 7.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.7 SPG, all while playing some of the best end-to-end perimeter basketball the Western Conference has seen in 2015. Leonard is lit, and he's really just warming up.
For Western Conference playoff hopefuls who've been balling out all season—like Steph Curry for example—plays like this must be disheartening as fuck.
Instead of shielding the ball with his left hand, Curry tried to motion Andre Iguodala for a screen, which is apparently enough of a window for "The Claw" to reach out and knock away the ball—much like how your older brother shook the claw machine at the boardwalk when you FINALLY grabbed that stuffed shark. Both the shark and the basketball ended up going the other way.
Leonard had seven steals and 26 points against the Warriors that night, and guaranteed, he didn't celebrate or even acknowledge any of them. Whether he picks the pocket of the presumptive MVP or commits a bad foul, Leonard remains expressionless and stoic, much like the Spurs' future Hall of Fame power forward lining up alongside him. For that, Leonard is the perfect heir to Tim Duncan, something that head coach Gregg Popovich absolutely adores. Yes, it's possible for Pop to show love too.
Pop keeps it real on Kawhi Leonard’s steal and dunk pic.twitter.com/o3NYC636o6
— Steve Noah (@Steve_OS) April 8, 2015Players like Leonard are why Popovich will likely stick around beyond Duncan. Why retire if the system keeps producing like-minded, well-coached superstar robots?
Leonard is so "bored-to-death" that at his own Tyga-accessorized Finals MVP party, he looked as disinterested in the club's version of a "good time" as humanly possible.
Now presenting, the Three Stages of Bored Kawhi:
The "Un-amused With My Own Party" Look
1.
The "I'm Not Even Sure Who I'm Supposed to Be" Blank Stare
2.
And Finally, the "I'm Tired and Yawning Next to a Giant Cutout of My Head, Whatever" Action
3.
In many ways, Leonard is the anti-turnup, or the sober friend at every single party who never has a problem driving you home. He's putting his head down and doing his job for the squad, spectacularly.
4.
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[via @Steve_OS on Twitter]
