Playoff Kawhi's killer instinct gives Raptors long-desired postseason edge

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors reached the post-season five straight years prior to this one and it’s hard to pick a single series where they didn’t have to overextend themselves. Even their best run, to the conference finals in 2016, needed the full quota of 14 games against lower seeded teams to get there.

But by defeating the Orlando Magic in five games — winning four straight games in the playoffs for the very first time — the Raptors have found themselves with a bit of time to spare, an off day as well as two full practices before they take centre stage against the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night.

“Any time you can get as many days as possible of preparation, it's always good,” Fred VanVleet said at the OVO Athletic Centre Friday afternoon. “But to have a complete day off in terms of just getting away, mental reset, physical reset, to have that extra day, which was Wednesday for us, then came back yesterday and started getting ready for Philly, and today as well.

“Ideally, you want as many days as possible, and that's why you try to get the series done as fast as you can. Obviously, we were able to go out there and take care of business and get ready for Philly.”

A big part of taking care of business has been the play of Kawhi Leonard, or rather, Playoff Kawhi, one of the best players in the game finding a way to elevate his standard on the biggest stage. In five games against the Magic, he averaged 27.8 points on 56.3 percent shooting from two-point range and 53.8 percent from three, 6.6 rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes a game.

After his team had to hear all about their Game 1 woes as a result of losing another one, Leonard delivered his performance of the season. A 37-point outing that rendered the Magic’s defensive efforts useless, bullying them inside, usurping their length with exceptional footwork and fundamentals on his jumper to rise above every time, the swish as the basketball fell through the net perfectly in sync with the sighs of the Magic players. Late in the game, he really started toying with them, changing his mind on how to finish at the rim at the last possible moment, knowing the ball going through the basket had already done enough damage.

He gutted through what could have been a sick day to help his team wrestle back home court advantage in Game 3, then saw the finish line and showed no mercy, dropping 61 points on 31 shots in just over an hour’s work. It’s that type of cold-blooded, relentless pursuit of success that has impressed his teammates the most.

“The biggest thing that I’d seen in the last series was you could see him just taking those guys spirits away and breaking those guys spirits and no matter what they really did it didn’t phase him or affect him.

“He was able to break their will so to speak, and that’s what superstars do.”

The Raptors would know. They’ve seen LeBron James leave their souls crushed, left despondent, licking their wounds and wondering what it would be like to have someone like that.

“He loves to go out there and get on the floor, work out, be prepared for the game,” Lowry says on what he’s learned about Leonard over the course of the year. “He watches film and he’s always ready to go when it’s game time. Practice days he’s a little more relaxed but once we get between the lines and ready for 48, it’s just like a switch turns. He’s really good.

“I knew he was good but seeing him every day and every game and what he can do defensively ... is crazy. It’s pretty cool.”

What his dominance has also done is allowed other key cogs to thrive in the roles they’re best suited to playing. Marc Gasol is averaging a playoff-career-low 5.6 field-goal attempts but kicking butt on the defensive end, and Lowry is averaging his fewest field goal attempts while currently sitting at a playoff-career-high in assists and dominating the league’s playoff hustle stats.

For all that Leonard does when the lights are brightest, it’s the work he puts in behind the scenes that allows him to shine. Head coach Nick Nurse finds his superstar is always locked in when they’re watching film, commenting when he feels the need, asking questions and even providing input. He also takes tremendous pride in his defence, another aspect of his game that has risen a notch here in the post-season and helps keep his team locked in.

“I’m not sure I’ve seen a guy be able to decide he wants to make a defensive play and then go do it,” Nurse said after practice. “I’m not saying he can do it all the time, but usually you have to have the opportunity go present itself but somehow I think he finds ways to make big plays at the defensive end — whether it’s just with pressure or shooting the gap or deflecting a ball or just going and taking it from somebody.

“Those are my favourite ones, when he just decides there’s a guy and he goes and attacks him and tries to take it from him. It’s not easy to do and he can do it once in a while and it’s pretty intimidating, too.”

Could Nurse possibly be referencing Ben Simmons, their next opponent and Leonard’s likely defensive assignment, when he describes this scenario? Quite possibly.

In three games and 95 minutes where the two went head-to-head during the regular season, Simmons had 20 turnovers and was a minus-14. He averaged 11.3 points, almost six fewer than his season average and never really came to grips with Leonard’s ability to impose his size, length and strength. When one of your franchise cornerstones is bullied like that, yeah, that’s intimidating.

“Just by playing them, seeing some of their tendencies, they have a new roster a little bit and added some shooting, more scoring,” Leonard said of the Raptors’ upcoming opponent. “They’re pretty much running the same plays for the most part.”

The playoffs are certainly a different animal from the regular season, but Gasol showed in the Magic series what tormenting one of the team’s best players can do to the opponent.

If Leonard can carry over his regular season success against Simmons, and you throw in Joel Embiid’s ailing knee that saw him average just 24.3 — albeit highly productive — minutes per game, there is the potential for this series to lack the drama the star names suggest should be on offer.

The Raptors just showed what they can do when they smell blood, but they’ll be well aware that there are no guarantees in the post-season, especially Game 1.

What they can take pride in knowing is that Playoff Kawhi is a different beast, one who can leave teams resigned to his will, and give teammates that extra leash they need to hang on to without overextending.

NOTES

• After wearing a wrap during his post-Game 5 press conference for a dislocated finger on his right hand that was popped back in place, Lowry showed no ill-effects and was holding the mic without a wrap, answering questions care-free.

• Mike Scott, a reserve power forward for the Sixers who gave the Raptors problems during his time with the Washington Wizards a year ago, has been confirmed OUT for Game 1.

• ICYMI, Game 1 has been confirmed for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 27.

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