February 19, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward
Kawhi Leonard(2) shoots against the defense of Los Angeles Clippers forward
Hedo Turkoglu(15) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
6. Kawhi
It has become more and more apparent that Kawhi Leonard is the guy in San Antonio that will take the reigns of the franchise from the likes of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. Last year he stepped up in a huge way enroute to a San Antonio Spurs championship. While 18 points on a fairly efficient 7 of 12 shooting is no laughing matter in an NBA Playoff game, the Spurs need more from him.
This isn’t the Spurs of old that had a million and one ways to score on any given night. For the Spurs to turn this around he needs to become a bigger factor offensively.
7. Pop vs. Doc
Let’s face it, this is the best coaching matchup in the first round of these playoffs. We have two true NBA coaching legends going head to head with a trip to the second round on the line. Expect to see a lot of strategy and specific match ups coming down the stretch in this series by both team. Both coaches realize that their teams’ respect windows are closing and if there was ever a time to make a deep playoff run this is it.
Next: Boris vs Blake