Kyle Lowry remembers witnessing only one other performance that was as dominant as Kawhi Leonard's was on Saturday night.
It was 2009. The Raptors point guard was playing for Houston versus Portland in the first round of the playoffs, and the Rockets' seven-foot-six giant of a centre Yao Ming was scoring virtually at will.
Leonard's night was one of the most impressive performance by a Raptor ever. Only Vince Carter, who had 50 points against the Sixers in the 2001 playoffs, scored more. In only his first playoff appearance in two years, he looked more like the 2014 Finals MVP than he has in awhile. The quadriceps injury that kept out of all but nine games last season? What injury?
While Leonard plus Pascal Siakam, who had a 29-point night, hogged the spotlight on the offensive end, Toronto's defence was on a string. Lowry and Leonard were the motor and Marc Gasol the anchor as the Raptors held one of the league's most potent offences to 39 per cent shooting, and forced 16 turnovers.
"It's a very intelligent, very experienced group," the coach said. "You see it not only in the game but you see it on days like today. The film session . . . it's not us just telling them, it's us working together and there's a lot of good ideas. Our coaching staff's ears are open, there's an exchange of ideas because these guys have been through hundreds of games and lots of playoff runs and all those kinds of things.
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