Kawhi Leonard sent a strong message to the Nuggets late in Game 3 of the Clippers-Nuggets second-round playoff series on Monday night.
The Nuggets may have led throughout the majority of the game, but Leonard showed his opponents exactly the type of player he is, and what he’s made of, without any body language.
He did that when the Clippers were clinging to a six-point lead, with just under two minutes remaining in the game. Jamal Murray drove to the basket with authority, determined to slam the ball home.
Unfortunately for him, Kawhi Leonard was tasked with defending the rim, and the two-time Finals MVP denied Murray with only his middle finger, literally. That’s all it took for Leonard to keep the ball from going in.
The replays really do it justice.
Our fingers hurt just from watching that. Most other mere mortals would dislocate their finger from that level of contact. Leonard is just so unbelievably strong, and he plays at an MVP level, getting it done on both ends of the floor.
