Tobias Harris said it pretty simply, because it’s not that complicated, or doesn’t appear to be. “He’s carrying their team,” the Philadelphia 76ers forward said after Kawhi Leonard had played Atlas again, carrying so much on his broad shoulders, in Toronto’s Game 4 win. “All the shots he’s taking are tough, contested.” It was hard to say more.
Tied 2-2, this is becoming a defining series for these Raptors, and one dynamic is clear. When they defend well and Leonard gets adequate offensive help while playing basketball god, Toronto wins. When he doesn’t — or when the defence slips, as in Game 3 — they don’t.