It could have been the buzzer beater before the buzzer beater that wasn't a buzzer beater.
Does that make sense?
Reporters asked Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard why he didn't take a final shot to perhaps seal a victory over the Warriors after the team's Game 5 106-105 loss in Toronto.
"Well, I mean two guys came up on me, I don't know if I could have got a shot off. It's hard. If you got two guys on top of you, you have to try to find the right play," Leonard told the media Monday following the game. "We ended up getting a shot in the corner, but it just didn't go off quick enough."
The ending of this game 😱 pic.twitter.com/7QFvwfyfqY— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) June 11, 2019
Sports
The internet and morning talk shows had a field day with the situation and plenty to say on whether or not Leonard should have taken that shot when he was given the opportunity.
Nick Wright on FS1's "First Things First" appeared to have Leonard's back. The three-time All-Star isn't going to be a Kobe Bryant-type and take that shot -- he's not going to be a hero, he's going to play it smart:
"Kawhi Leonard had a chance to have arguably the single greatest moment in NBA history- we've never had a buzzer-beater to win a championship- and he turned it down because it was the smart play. It didn't work out, but it was the right play." - @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/L1rs2C3P2Q— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) June 11, 2019
Wright himself said Kobe was 6-for-23 on taking those shots -- and that's not the kind of player Kawhi is.
Shannon Sharpe on FS1's "Undisputed" was also Team Leonard:
"Kawhi's game is not Kobe, his game is not MJ. His game is more Magic, more LeBron: 'I will take the shot if it presents itself.' ... Kawhi won't play hero ball. He's made that abundantly clear. He will make the right play." - @ShannonSharpe pic.twitter.com/EA4cbmk2sK— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) June 11, 2019
Of course, Skip Bayless decided to take the other side, because well, it's Skip Bayless:
On that final play, as soon as he saw the double-team coming from Iggy to his right, No. 2 should've just power-dribbled hard left on Klay, bounced him off and gone up for the potential game-winner.— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 11, 2019
After watching the play you can see, Leonard had possession then passed it back to Fred VanVleet who gave the ball to Kyle Lowry in the corner who tried to take on those responsibilities.
[RELATED: Courtside seat for Finals Game 6 costs more than $70K]
Yeah, that would have been cool to have one of those buzzer-beater endings, but once again, that's not the kind of player Leonard is. And in regard to the Kobe comparisons, yes -- there is footage recently out there of Kobe shooting these shots constantly, but c'mon -- give the guy a break. And like Wright said, it didn't work out, but it was the right play.
You don't get too cute during the NBA Finals.
