Danny Green echoes Raptors fans with hilarious quote on Kawhi Leonard’s iconic game-winner in 2019 playoffs
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors are still trying to recapture the magic of the 2019 season, as it ended with Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, and Nick Nurse hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy for what is still the only time in franchise history. Without Leonard’s famous shot, none of this would have been possible.
Leonard’s moving pull-up that bounced on the outside of the rim a handful of times and eventually sank the Philadelphia 76ers’ postseason chances remains not only a seminal moment in Raptors history but also one of the iconic moments in NBA playoff history.
Green, like many of the fans who were watching that game, didn’t think that Kawhi’s shot had any chance of going in when he first let it fly. Given the unusual angle, risky move, and spectacle of the whole affair, Green felt like he was watching history unfold in slow motion.
“It was like a movie. When [Kawhi] took the shot, I thought it was the worst shot,” Green said via the Run Your Race podcast via Tidal League. “It happened in 0.5 seconds [for TV viewers], but for us, it was 10.” It felt like an eternity for Raptors fans watching that ball bounce.
"When [Kawhi Leonard] took the shot, I thought it was the worst shot... It happened in 0.5 seconds when y'all watching but for us it was 10.”
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 3, 2023
Danny Green on the Klaw's series-winning shot vs. the Sixers in 2019.
(via "Run Your Race", @TidalLeague)pic.twitter.com/xduhfV5ddv
Danny Green hilariously talks Toronto Raptors’ postseason run, Kawhi Leonard shot
The ripple effect of the Leonard shot is still playing a part in shaping the modern NBA. Not only did it kick-start Joel Embiid and the 76ers’ postseason frustrations, but it helped establish Masai Ujiri as an executive beyond reproach after his championship-winning year.
Green, who has since joined up with Nurse once again on the 76ers, played a pivotal role on that Raptors team, starting nearly every game and establishing himself as one of the premier 3-point shooters the league had to offer. Leonard made the big shot and was the team’s star, but would they have gotten as far as they did without Green?
With the Raptors mired in a funk over the last few years that Masai Ujiri has not done a very good job of shaking off, Toronto needs to find some sort of way to recapture the magic of the Leonard glory days. If they don’t, it’s still always fun to reminisce about what once was.