When the great victory was finally sealed in Oakland late last spring, the world could have been excused for fixating on a picture of singular domination. The Toronto Raptors had achieved the NBA ultimate, sure, but only one among them was being cast as an NBA alpha.
And fair enough. Unlike the franchise he carried to a title, Kawhi Leonard had been there before. For the second time in his career Leonard found himself cradling the Larry O’Brien Trophy in one giant hand while holding the Bill Russell Trophy as finals MVP in another. And the simple arithmetic told you he was more than deserving of the moment.