San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard was able to stuff Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James after a great move by James in isolation.
It doesn’t get much better at the small forward position than when the Cleveland Cavaliers and the San Antonio Spurs meet on the NBA hardwood. That’s because we get to see LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard duke it out in a battle of superstars.
Early in their Monday night game on TNT, James decides to take on the great defender that is Leonard in isolation. James is usually able to get what he wants by attacking the paint. He puts a great pump fake on Leonard to get him to bite. However, Leonard was still able to elevate and block James’ shot in the San Antonio paint.
These are two of the four serious candidates for MVP going at it. Both are having arguably their best NBA seasons to date. James is carrying this often-injured Cavaliers team to the top seed in the improved Eastern Conference. Leonard has become the superstar San Antonio needed after Tim Duncan’s retirement.
One could easily argue that Cleveland versus San Antonio might end up being the 2017 NBA Finals. The Cavs will get a good challenge out of teams like the Boston Celtics, the Washington Wizards and the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference, but they’re still the team to beat.
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San Antonio’s path to the NBA Finals is a bit trickier. The Spurs would have to deal with teams like the Memphis Grizzlies, the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors to reach the NBA Finals. If the basketball world doesn’t get Golden State into the Finals, why couldn’t it be Leonard and the Spurs?