Kawhi Leonard's franchise-altering shot deserves a deep rewind | 2019 Raptors vs. 76ers Game 7

For a dude who seemingly has the emotional range of a robot, Kawhi Leonard exploded with feelings of joy after draining a Game Seven buzzer-beater shot against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019 Eastern Conference SemiFinals. That’s just how big this moment was. But to fully appreciate Kawhi malfunctioning, you have to understand everything that led up to the final bounces of that shot.

How the Raptors fell short year after year to LeBron and the Cavs, forcing them to make a drastic trade to reach this point. You need to understand that the 76ers are only here in this position to stop the Raptors now because they were purposely awful for numerous years. Yes, the Raptors have one of the most loyal fan bases in the NBA, but they had to go through years of losing and misery to get there. And while Kawhi is the star of this Raptors team, getting him to suit for Toronto didn’t come easy. So to really understand this moment, we gotta rewind.

Written, produced and edited by: Joe Ali

[PGHPulse]

“GAME. SERIES. TORONTO HAS WON.” Not even a Raptors fan, but what an awesome moment to always look back on.

[mcbaby]

Fun Fact - Leonard's shot was the first ever Game 7 buzzer beater win in NBA history.

[gel_oh]

Why does it feel like this video was released as a bit of comfort for Raptors fans after they officially missed out on the playoffs for the first time in 8 years

[Julian-jdyj]

Never been a big Leonard fan. But he straight up showed up, won a title, and dipped. Legendary lmao

[BrytonBand]

I think people don’t understand how huge this moment was:

The last Canadian team to win a Stanley Cup was Montreal in ‘93.
The last Canadian team to win a title in any Major sports league was the Blue Jays in ‘93.
The last time a Canadian team appeared in the Stanley Cup final was the Canucks in 2011.

So when the Raptors won the title in 2019, it was seriously a long time coming.

[JawaPenguin]

I feel sorry for DeRozan, but that playoff run by Toronto shows the difference between a Star and a Superstar in the league. Kawhi was incredible.

[calebos]

You forgot to mention about Vince Carter's missed game-winning shot in game 7 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against... the 76ers

[Skybound.]

I can’t believe it’s a two year anniversary of this. Feels like it happened months ago.

[tjaymetal]

I’m more impressed on how ballsy the GM of raptors did tho.

-Replace a coach of the year with a rookie coach
-Literally trade the franchise player on pace to be the greatest raptor / most popular player in Toronto and a fan favourite for 1 year of Leonard

You either come out like literal dumbfuck clown, worst GM of all time or have the best GM moves of all time. It’s 50/50 after the trade

[APisceanSlant]

I'll never forget that team, that year, that run, that chip, that parade, and this shot. Truly incredible to witness.

[jessejamesainger]

I think I have watched that shot at least 500 times over the past 2 years. It's just like the climax from a cheesy sports movie except it actually happened.

[pimentovideo]

As a Canadian I have to say the championship run was crazy. One of the few times the whole country rallied behind a team

[tristanhackman]

Still gives me chills. Kawhi had an entire country enthralled for the entire playoffs

[dungeonsdungeonsandmoredun]

Props to Kawhi for knowing his body so well. He knew he needed more rest and he knew when he was ready and when the day finally came, he was ready. and then he peaced out for some nice la weather lol

[wazzup]

Never forget that Jeremy Lin got his 1st ring before Carmelo did. 🤣😁🤑💍

[DeKaged]

Funny coincident is that when Vince Carter was on our team, he missed the same game-winning shot that Leonard hit. Against the same team, the 76ers. Also the same team the Bucks were waiting for the conference finals.
A perfect redemption story.

[thistrem]

Finally this iconic moment is gonna be shown on rewinder.

[seanbarry]

Literally gives me goosebumps everytime i hear it
“Is this the dagger...

GAME. SERIES. TORONTO HAS WON”

[lukedavis]

Why does this series feel more like the finals than the actual ones

[logicaldude]

This shot was one of those rare moments in recent NBA history that really did feel historic. What a crazy moment in such a big game.