Watch Game 1 of the NBA Finals live on Sky Sports Arena in the early hours of Friday morning (2am)
Thursday 30 May 2019 23:27, UK
Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard is the NBA's best team player, says Toronto head coach Nick Nurse.
Leonard has established himself as the best player in the playoffs so far, averaging 31.2 points per game, making huge game-winning shots and playing elite-level defense while leading Toronto to their maiden appearance in the NBA Finals.
But while the former NBA Finals MVP's numbers illustrate his superstar status, his coach sees him in a different light, preferring to focus on the myriad ways Leonard contributes to the Raptors' success.
"You know what I say about him?" asks Nurse rhetorically. "I call Kawhi the best team player in the league. He really does everything.
"He defends, he scores, he has been grabbing huge rebounds, he is a leader. His competitive spirit to win rubs off on everybody."
Another Raptors player who has enjoyed an excellent season is forward Pascal Siakam, whose regular season numbers of 16.9 points and 6.9 rebounds along with his stellar defense have made him the favourite for the NBA's Most Improved Player award.
Asked about the reasons behind Siakam's dramatic improvement, coach Nurse said: "First of all [Pascal] put in a tremendous amount of work. You could kind of possibly see [his improvement coming]. Every time I went to see him in the summer you could see [him making] big steps. I was thinking, 'jeez, this guy has really gotten better'. You could see that in the way he was moving around and the way he was playing the summer leagues.
"Then it was 'right opportunity, right time' for him. We had a couple of injuries at his position and he got the spot and never let go of it. He was never going to give it up. He kept improving all year long and things worked out. He really deserves it."
Nurse will hope the defensive skills of Leonard and Siakam will enable his team to resist the potent offense of the Warriors when the Final series gets underway in the early hours of Friday morning (2am), live on Sky Sports Arena.
Of particular danger to the Raptors in the Finals series will be Golden State's deployment of their 'Hamptons Five' line-up, a small-ball unit featuring the talents of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green and, if he proves his fitness and is able to suit up, Kevin Durant.
"What gives them the advantage is all the switching," said Nurse. "A lot of the things you'd normally do, pick-and-rolls, plays attacking size mis-matches just aren't there because they are just trying to keep you in front of them.
"We are going to have to be great at working hard to get open, doing a lot of extra cutting and taking care of the basketball. That's really a key to the game on our offense."
Game 1 of the NBA Finals takes place in Toronto in the early hours of Friday morning (2am) live on Sky Sports Arena.
