“He could do that every single night,” Jamal Crawford RAVES about Kawhi Leonard, calls him NBA playoffs top 5 player
Kawhi Leonard's 38-point performance against the Phoenix Suns drew huge praise from former NBA player Jamal Crawford
Follow Us
Kawhi Leonard
Former NBA player Jamal Crawford has high praise for Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard following his dominant game 1 display against the Phoenix Suns. Kawhi is a playoff veteran being involved in playoff runs since his rookie season at the San Antonio Spurs and winning his first Finals MVP in 2014. Kawhi has since gone on to bring the Toronto Raptors their only championship in his single season there.
“I know he’s a top 5 player in the playoffs… He’s been a champion for a long time and when you have that it’s what gets your juices going,” said Jamal Crawford on the Dan Patrick Show. The Klaw has had a reputation for missing regular season games due to load management but his playoff resume speaks for itself. Since 2017 Kawhi Leonard has averaged 29 points and 8 rebounds in the NBA playoffs.
“It’s not like it was a hot night for him, he could do it every single night,” added Crawford on Kawhi’s performance against the Suns. Kawhi scored 38 points in his first playoff game since 2021 in a game one road win for the Clippers. “He’s been through a couple of injuries… But if this is the time we get to see him, when the stakes are the highest… I’ll sign up for it,” added Crawford.
Kawhi Leonard will look to replicate his past playoff success with the Clippers
The Klaw’s 38 points were the difference maker compared to Kevin Durant’s 29 in Game One of the Western Conference first round. Leonard and the Clippers have made the playoffs every year he has been fit but failed to make the NBA Finals yet. Their most embarrassing loss came after blowing a 3-1 conference semi-final lead to the Denver Nuggets in 2020.
In the past, Kawhi has taken teams such as the Toronto Raptors who were coming off three consecutive playoff upsets against LeBron James all the way to the title. Leonard also won his first Finals MVP in 2014 for his incredible defensive performance and clutch shooting against the Miami Heat for San Antonio in 2014. Leonard has averaged over 20 points per game in every playoff appearance since 2014.
The Los Angeles Clippers made their first-ever conference finals appearance in 2021 but were without Leonard who picked up an injury in the series prior. The Clippers ended up losing in six games to the Phoenix Suns. This season Kawhi has a chance to take revenge for the Clippers after taking a 1-0 lead and stealing home-court advantage.
In case you missed it:
Do follow us on Google News | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Stay Updated!
Anuj Shrikanth Iyer
(290 Articles Published)