This is one of the actions that has truly marked the NBA Playoffs in recent years. It’s even one of the greatest actions in the history of the postseason. On May 12, 2019, during Game 7 between Toronto and Philadelphia, Kawhi Leonard crucified the Sixers with an incredible buzzer-beater.
It’s the kind of scenario you only see in movies. Or that we barely dare to imagine when we play on a playground with friends.
Game 7 of a Playoff series. The last shot for victory. The ball bouncing on the hoop several times. Then who enters with the explosion of the public just behind.
This is what happened on May 12, 2019 in Toronto, with Kawhi Leonard in the role of hero.
OTD: In 2019, Kawhi Leonard sent the Sixers home after hitting an ICONIC game-winner in Game 7. 😤 pic.twitter.com/fu9gP3uTif
— theScore (@theScore) May 12, 2022
We are in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The Raptors and Sixers are tied 3-3, with a Game 7 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. On one side, we have the Dinos, guided by Kawhi, Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam and Co. On the other, we have Philly, with Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons. In short, there are some very nice people on the floor of the Canadian room.
For 47 minutes and 59 seconds, the Raptors and the Sixers are neck and neck. Toronto got back into the match better but Philadelphia hung on. The gap never exceeds nine points, the two teams go blow for blow, and this is how we find ourselves in the fourth quarter with unbearable suspense. In the final minute, Toronto took a three-point lead but two free throws from Embiid reduced the score to 89-88 for the Raptors. Behind, Kawhi Leonard only makes one shot out of two, which opens the door for an equalizer from Jimmy Butler four seconds from the end.
90-90. Raptors ball. Marc Gasol at the throw-in. What’s next? It’s one of the most incredible sequences in NBA history.
5 years ago, Kawhi Leonard hit the greatest shot in Raptors history. pic.twitter.com/nzPKNDYE5F
— MVP4 (@UTD_m4) May 12, 2024
Kawhi Leonard receives the swelling at the height of the logo. He finds himself one-on-one against Ben Simmons, one of the best NBA defenders. Giant Joel Embiid immediately comes to the aid, forcing Kawhi to head to the right corner, just in front of the Raptors bench. As the clock runs out, Leonard releases a fadeaway so high that the ball hits the ceiling of Scotiabank Arena. The 19,800 fans present held their breath. In its downward trajectory, while the buzzer sounds, the ball meets the hoop.
He bounces.
Bounces.
Bounces.
Then go back.
“OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. GAME, SERIES, TORONTO HAS WON !”
Incredible, unreal, monumental.
This last action by Kawhi Leonard immediately becomes an NBA legend. While the entire Raptors Nation explodes with happiness, all the Toronto players rush to Kawhi (41 points) and Marc Gasol thanks the heavens, the Sixers are at the bottom of the hole. Joel Embiid joins the locker room in tears, Jimmy Butler can’t believe it.
This is quite simply the first buzzer-beater (for a win) in NBA history in a Game 7 of the Playoffs.
This legendary shot will then become iconic because it will allow the Raptors to go all the way to the NBA title (won against the Warriors during the 2019 NBA Finals), the very first in the history of the Canadian franchise. Kawhi Leonard – in full prime – wins his second championship ring and his second Finals MVP title. But above all, in the space of just one season, he became a true legend in Toronto.
Unforgettable.
2024-05-12 09:08:00
#Kawhi #Leonards #buzzerbeater #Sixers
