All Kawhi had to do was extend his massive arms to create offense.
In the first quarter of last night’s game against Denver, he tipped a pass
intended for Randy Foye and Boris Diaw helped him with an easy layup in
transition. If this was late December, that possession would have ended in
points for Denver. Instead, Foye was on his back covered in spilled beer. Kawhi ended the night with 17 points and 15
rebounds.
This has been the story for every game since Leonard’s
return. With Kawhi back, the Spurs have won every game in double digits—a luxury
that just didn’t seem possible last month. We all knew how important he was,
this is just a powerful reminder. After Kawhi’s return against Portland, Spurs
beat writer Jeff Mccdonald tweeted: “The difference between the Spurs’ roster
that labored to fend off Charlotte 2 nights ago and the one that blitzed
Portland tonight is one guy.”
Kawhi was guarding Wesley Matthews that night, the same guy
that turned the bruised hand into a torn ligament. “You tried to put me out for
the season,” Leonard told him. Kawhi said it was a joke in his postgame
interview, but Matthews walked out of the at&t center with two points,
hitting one of four shots. No one was laughing.
The Spurs still aren’t completely whole with Marco out, but
the rotations are getting consistent and they have a little rhythm back after
winning four straight. Now that Kawhi is filling his enormous role, the rest of
the spurs can focus on their strengths.
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