The NBA Finals MVP is an individual award, and Kawhi Leonard had a wonderful series as an individual. He guarded LeBron James, the toughest offensive player in the league; he displayed a newfound sense of offensive creativity, attacking the rim and knocking down threes; he rebounded the basketball in traffic, both offensively and defensively.
There were multiple players on the San Antonio Spurs who could have won Finals MVP. Boris Diaw was outstanding as a distributor. Tony Parker, though unspectacular compared to his usual self, was steady and kept the machine whirring. Tim Duncan was Tim Duncan.
But Leonard was the only player handling a significant burden on both ends of the floor. The Spurs clearly didn't respect Wade's ability on offense, throwing Boris Diaw and other lesser defenders on him. Chris Bosh, as the third banana in the Miami offense, simply doesn't require a lot of attention. The rest of the Heat players only served roles and could be helped off of at will.
Only LeBron James required constant and detailed attention. He's clearly shown an improved ability to shoot the basketball from deep, ...
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Article written by Dylan Murphy
Breaking Down How NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard Shined for San Antonio Spurs
June 17th, 2014 by Dylan Murphy Leave a reply »
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