The San Antonio Spurs all around, team work oriented style of play make it hard to pick out a specific individual to merit for their huge success in the 2014 NBA Finals. If the Spurs will become champions --which is the most likely scenario after taking a commanding 3-1 lead over the Heat--the big question now is: Who is the top candidate for the Bill Russell award given to the Finals MVP?
Tim Duncan should be a legit candidate and so is Tony Parker but I would confidently go with Kawhi Leonard. Although he didn't have quite the resemblance of a Finals MVP in game 1 and 2, he was the center of the spot light in Game 3 with 29 huge points. He made Lebron work in both ends of the floor the entire game and even outplayed the best player on the planet in many instances.
And to prove to all the doubters that his Game 3 breakout game wasn't a fluke, he simply stuffed the stat sheet in Game 4 with 20 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and 3 blocks in 39 minutes of action as the Spurs routed the Heat. His emphatic follow-up slam with little over a minute left in the 2nd quarter silenced the crowd and left the Miami Heat squad stunned as the Spurs lead ballooned to 22 points.
For the second time in the series, Leonard was able to match Lerbon's output. But the difference, however, is that not only did Leonard played excellent offense , he was also a beast on the boards. Leonard's stellar performance on almost every aspect of the game is perhaps the biggest last year's and this year's finals.
The Spurs continue to assert that there has been no change in their blue print from last year. The only clear and obvious change, though, is that in this series Leonard is more assertive, more competitive, and more determined to match Lebron James in every aspect.
If the Spurs can pull another victory against the Heat on June 15, we may be seeing the 22 year old Kawhi Leonard lifting the Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy with his huge arms in front of the home crowd at the AT&T Center.
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