Should Kawhi Leonard’s 2 finals Wins be in question now?

[Jordan>>LeFrozen]

Cause the main narrative around kawhi has been 2x FMVP this, led a team that. He was lucky in the sense that the 2014 finals wasn’t memorable for anything other than the Spurs running Lebron out of Miami nobody talks about that series outside of that....and kawhi winning the FMVP. He was like the 3rd or 4th best player on that team

9 points game one. 9/2/0 actually though he was +11 and played defense relatively well. He played 22 minutes or so

9/2/3/1 fouled out(I think) game 2

then he broke lose I believe game 3 with 30 and averaged 20+ the next 2 games to win it. It’s debatable but people do speak as if he was averaging 30 a night for that FMVP. The narrative used to be “he won it cause he guarded lebron” and that narrative fell on Andre igudola the following year. In fact it was Kawhi who kicked started that narrative but it changed.

2019=KD hurt, Klay gets hurt in that elimination game. He played well but listen..... Kawhi doesn’t have a MVP. No scoring titles. His raw stats are low. 2x DPOY but only 2x all first team once. 2x only twice(including this year btw) 6x all defense( 3 each) all star 4x and all star mvp but for the most part(and he has a steals title too) he falls back on those 2 titles as a winning player. That’s how he’s marketed as. A guy you plug on and he just wins.....but should that be in question now?

I know he has the all time winning record...in some shyt I forgot and don’t feel like googling . But looking at how he played for....

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

I mean, first one he was basically Iggy with no offensive game. But he played tough defense on Bron it got hyped up so fukk it give him a Finals MVP even tho he a doja.....

Then he stumbled with his peg leg into the finals and Lowry and his dogs finished most of the work while he took the glory because of a lucky ass shot two rounds earlier.....

Then he rolled out thinkin he was hot shyt and choked for all to see

Dis nikka James Posey with rows, a robotic offensive game, and a quiet demeanor......

 

[Bryan Danielson]

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

Where was the defense?

All kinda All NBA defenders on the team....

Best perimeter duo since Jordan and Pippen...

Where Kovid Klaw and Pandemic P was at?

 

[FAH1223]

To answer the question, no.

2019 NBA Finals averages of 29 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block per game are good numbers even with cold shooting late. He was clearly the engine that got Toronto there.

2014 NBA Finals averages of 18 points, 6 rebounds and nearly 2 steals per game don't look impressive but what was impressive were the final 3 games. Spurs were so good but Kawhi had a breakout moment. Miami Heat couldn't stop anyone.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Absolutely not. Kawhi had a bad game and a bad series overall. He has earned his reputation over the years though. He has been a great player and stepped up to the challenge many times. Y'all with these reactionary threads... it's nonsense

 

[Regular_P]

His first Finals MVP is wild overrated and it's nauseating how the media runs with that as part of his legacy. That one carries no weight in my book just like Iggy stealing Curry's in 2015.

2019 he was a monster.

 

[Suspicious Dingo]

Danny Green carried him to 2 titles

Spoiler

 

[FAH1223]

Hos first Finals MVP is wild overrated and it's nauseating how the media runs with that as part of his legacy. That one carries no weight in my book just like Iggy stealing Curry's in 2015.

2019 he was a monster.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Like I said in another thread, folk go pendulum on this shyt too much.

2014 was a weird fluke, everyone knew he was really the 3rd or 4th most important player on the team but they gave him the MVP because of all the focus on Bron and Duncan/Parker already had 4 of those things between them anyway.

2019 he was every bit as good as the winning team's MVP is in any year. I don't think it was some historically GOAT run but it wasn't anything you can ever take away from him either.


Kawhi has performed well in two Finals with one as the leader and best player on the team. Can't question that.

 

[10bandz]

He did his thing last season period.

What this choke job proved was that he's just not that nikka in the sense of being on Bron's level or even KDs. He a tier below them nikkas especially Bron. it doesn't take away from last season though

 

[Maluma]

Absolutely not. Kawhi had a bad game and a bad series overall. He has earned his reputation over the years though. He has been a great player and stepped up to the challenge many times. Y'all with these reactionary threads... it's nonsense

Has he though? Guy has choked nearly every series he’s been in.

2012 - blew a 2-0 lead
2013 - blew a 3-2 lead (and championship clinching free throw in game 6 of the finals)
2015 - blew a 3-2 lead
2016 - blew a 2-1 lead
2020 - his magnum opus, blowing a 3-1 lead

2014 was about the rest of the spurs, he defaulted his way to a finals MVP

2019 he played against a team missing its two best players and was one curry three away from turning a 3-1 lead into a Game 7.

 

[T’Challa’s Heir]

Na. Injuries or not, dude was a monster in 2019. At best, people stop giving as much weight to the 2014 MVP. He played well, but that was more of a Chauncey Billups MVP.

 

[Da King]

Choking away a 3-1 lead badly hurt his legacy, and also has made people rethink his 2014 championship which I’ve always told people that Tim Duncan could’ve easily won that finals MVP but because it was such a bad blow out the media gave it to him

 

[Phantum]

No


shyt happens, we'll see how he bounces back next season.

This bubble season has been more entertaining than I could have ever imagined. No home court advantage has really shown who's the best team on the court every single day. Don't act like the Lakers are a lock for the finals.