Did Kawhi Leonard Just Close the Door on the Warriors? None of it felt completely real until the final buzzer, but here we are. The Toronto Raptors are one win away from an NBA title. By the end of Game 4, the Raptors looked deeper, stronger and smarter than the Warriors. It was a story that began with defense. The Raptors harassed the Warriors all night—Golden State shot just 45%, including 30% from three alongside 19 turnovers. That defense is what allowed the Raptors to keep the game from getting out of hand in the first half. Then, in the third quarter, it ended with Kawhi Leonard. “He played amazing,” Steph Curry said of Leonard. “He hit every big momentum shot in that third quarter. It gave them the lead. And then kept the separation. They took control of the game. It’s one of those nights where you play with a lot of energy and you start to build momentum and then the wheels fall off a little bit.” The series isn’t over, but the Raptors have control. The Warriors are staring at the toughest challenge we’ve seen them face in their past five years at the top of the league. Kawhi is in the midst of a historic run, his teammates continue to step up on both ends of the floor, and Golden State looks shorthanded and exhausted.
