LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard slipped into the interview room at Staples Center clad in pearl-white sweats, calling to mind a Jedi sage. His face a mask, he gave no sign of recognizing any reporter, and set to analyzing the just-concluded game with the dispassion of a chess grandmaster.
What, a reporter asked, did you like about your team’s performance?
A long pause. “I enjoyed the third quarter, we got out in transition. That’s the thing I liked.”
That was soon enough of that. Leonard slid out of his chair and was gone.
The next evening, I walked into the Lakers’ postgame locker room in the same arena.