NBA Finals 2019: Did Kawhi Leonard just have the greatest individual postseason run in NBA history?

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Kawhi Leonard was a monster this entire postseason and has his second Finals MVP and another NBA title to show for it.

He dominated all facets of the game for four straight rounds, averaging 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game for the playoffs.

Our NBA.com Staff debates whether it was the greatest individual postseason run in NBA history.

Gilbert McGregor (@GMcGregor21): Call me a prisoner of the moment, I don't care. Kawhi just wrapped up the most impressive run in postseason history.

My answer is driven by the numbers and the narrative, and everything Kawhi has done run checks all of the boxes for me to put his run above all.

First off, only a handful of players have scored more total points than Kawhi did this postseason and he's doing it in his first season with a new team, one year off of playing in just nine games due to injury.

As for the narrative, in one postseason, he's seemingly erased the bitter past of Raptors postseason shortcomings and, above all, delivered this franchise its first-ever NBA title. And he did it all while dealing with an injury significant enough to cause him to show the emotion of discomfort and required aggressive treatment nearly around the clock.

When the dust settles, I'll again probably give the nod to someone named LeBron or Jordan, but tonight … I'm rolling with Kawhi.

Micah Adams (@MicahAdams13): We'll be talking about this Kawhi run forever and given the context around what it means for the Raptors and Canada as a whole, it sits right there alongside Dirk Nowitki in 2011 and Dwyane Wade in 2006 for most impactful in recent history.

But if we're talking about the single greatest postseason runs ever, I'm rolling with Michael Jordan in 1993.

That was the greatest postseason run by the greatest player ever as he averaged 35.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He dominated in sweeps over the Hawks and Cavaliers, then brought the Bulls back from 2-0 down against the Knicks in the Conference Finals, including a 54-point masterpiece in Game 4.

In the Finals, going up against the MVP Charles Barkley and the 62-win Suns, Jordan averaged 41.0 points per game, including a four-game stretch in which he poured in 42, 44, 51 and 41 points.

Leonard was sensational, but I'll still ride with the GOAT version of the GOAT.

Carlan Gay (@TheCarlanGay): It's hard to say whether or not this is the greatest postseason run in history because we're still in the moment.

Leonard was spectacular this postseason, finishing just 27 points shy of the playoff points total record. For a player who doesn't routinely produce highlight reel plays, he's provided enough in this playoff to make any YouTube mixtape curator salivate.

The clutch shot to eliminate the 76ers, the dunk on Giannis in transition, the 3-point barrage at the beginning of the third quarter in Game 4 of the Finals. He did it all.

But it wasn't just his scoring that was brilliant. Defensively he consistently changed the game. Whether it was minimizing Ben Simmons or locking down The Greek Freak, the Klaw was as pesky defensively as a mosquito at a BBQ.

No one wanted Kawhi guarding the ball and no one wanted the ball in his hands. Very few in NBA history have had that sort of impact in an NBA Finals or playoffs, and Kawhi's now done it twice.

Again, I don't know where this one stands amongst all the other great playoff runs as it's still all too fresh, but it's definitely in the conversation now.

Yash Matange (@yashmatange2694): Simple answer - no. There have been plenty that could easily rank higher than Kawhi Leonard's 2019 run.

I would, however, call it the most impressive one in recent history.

As Micah said, we would be talking about this postseason run for a long time and not only because he led the Raptors to their first Finals and subsequently the first championship in franchise history but because of how he has bounced back after only playing nine games during the 2017-18 season.

The numbers show that he has not only bounced back but often dominated and carried the Raptors to wins.

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