Kawhi Leonard Officially Put Giannis on Notice With Gutsy Game 3 Performance

As the Eastern Conference Finals series headed to Toronto for Game 3 on Sunday night, NBA fans and analysts were wondering: what had happened to the version of Kawhi Leonard that was a hero and clutch playoff performer through the first two rounds of the postseason?

After entering Toronto sports lore with a game-winning jumper with Joel Embiid defending in Game 7 against Philadelphia as time expired, Leonard seemingly shied from the spotlight for the first two games of the conference finals in Milwaukee as his Raptors fell behind 2-0 in the series. While scoring 31 points in each of the first two games against the Bucks doesn't merit harsh criticism, it was clear Giannis Antetokounmpo had stolen all the thunder in this matchup with his two-way dominance.

When you put your name in the same sentence with a legend like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, you're having a good series.

However, Kawhi showed out and came ready to defend his home court in Game 3. A statement was needed with the Raptors' backs against the wall. Enter 2019 second-round Kawhi: he put up 36 points in a career-high 52 minutes of play despite being hobbled by a noticeable limp. The superstar wing came out balling tonight and had another clutch moment in this year's playoffs, securing crunch time buckets that would seal double-overtime victory in Toronto by a score of 118-112.

And Giannis? He fouled out. Though he did grab a crazy 23 rebounds, he had just 12 points and struggled both from the field (5-16) and the free throw line (2-7). Advantage, Claw.

We have a series, folks, and it doesn't look like Kawhi Leonard is going anywhere. ?No, much like John Wick, he's thinking he's back. And after how he reintroduced himself in Game 3, all should suddenly feel possible for his Raptors.