“He has to come down eventually, doesn’t he?” That was the whisper in the halls before the game, from all sides. In Game 4, Kawhi Leonard bailed the Raptors out. The Philadelphia 76ers did, too. Every time Toronto needed to make a shot it felt like Kawhi created one, up to the big one at the end. And every time Philly needed a shot, it felt like they missed. Game 4 was an escape from a 3-1 deficit, balanced on impossibly broad shoulders. Imagine the potential consequences had the Raptors lost.
Instead, Toronto had a chance to push the Sixers to the edge of elimination, and in Game 5 they looked like a weight had been lifted.