preface
"He single-handedly blocked the two dynasties, and he was the first man in the alliance without injury."
This is Jordan's assessment of Leonard in an interview. From kawaii to League terminator, Leonard's life was ill-fated, but he never gave in to life
Leonard's childhood experience
Xiaoka was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1991, when he was very young, his parents were divorced, and Xiaoka, who lives with his mother, will call his father every day.
In his eyes, his father is not only his role model, but also his best friend, and the biggest common hobby of father and son is sports.
Unlike other stars, Xiaoka's father is a football fan, and he has always wanted his son to become a professional rugby player.
Whenever the father and son returned from work, Dad would take Xiaoka to the rugby field, practice with him, and teach Xiaoka a lot of skills.
Under the guidance of his father, he soon joined the football team, and his position was as a safety guard and wide receiver among the defensive defenders, and his tasks on the field, in addition to defense and defense.
Soon getting tired of this mechanical defensive training, Xiaoka began to switch to basketball, and the father was very sad to learn the news, but finally respected his son's choice.
Xiaoka, who went to high school, hoped to join the school basketball team, but due to his mother's busy work, he often missed training with him, and finally the coach refused Xiaoka's request to join the team.
When Marvin Lee, the coach who used to play in AAU, learned the news, he helped him transfer to Luther King High School, so Xiaoka didn't really start formal training until his second year of high school.
Xiaoka was eager to prove to his father that he had made the right choice, so he intensified his training every day, becoming more and more demanding of himself, and his skills improved by leaps and bounds.
Just when the 16-year-old Xiaoka was shining on the court, something happened around him that made him unforgettable for the rest of his life, and his life path also ushered in a huge change.
On January 18, 2008, when his father was just finishing work and preparing to go to the scene of Xiaoka's match, he was shot and killed, and his father died on the spot with more than a dozen shots, no one knows what the reason is, there are no witnesses, and the murderer's whereabouts are still unknown.
Xiaoka, who has been very close to his father since he was a child, learned the news, his whole world became bleak, and no one could witness all the results of his previous efforts.
It was also from this time that Xiaoka became more silent and his personality gradually became self-contained.
The next day, Xiaoka participated in the high school league as always, and after losing the game, his inner emotions could no longer be tightened, and he fell into his mother's arms and cried.
Xiaoka still can't accept that his best friend, his role model, his favorite father has died, and even a few hours before the crime, Xiaoka has called his father, is he really dead? Does he still have a chance to be saved? Who is the murderer?
In Xiaoka's mind, these questions appear every day, which is undoubtedly a torture for his spiritual world
After this change, he became more focused on basketball, he devoted more time to practice than before, tried to improve and become a better player, and he wanted to enter the NBA to make his father proud of himself
"Basketball is my life, only basketball can divert my attention, I want to play in the NBA, not just for myself."
Xiaoka's excellent performance on the court earned him the "Mr. California Basketball" award, and he also received invitations from several universities, and finally he chose to attend a national first-class university: San Diego State University.
Xiaoka worked very hard after entering school, every morning at five o'clock, he was already on the training ground, and even sometimes came too early, the school court had not yet turned on the lights, he would bring two lights from home to practice shooting in the weak light.
After class, he also goes to the local gym for strength and muscle building training, and this strict self-demand and continuous dedication have allowed Xiaoka to gradually grow into a strong player.
While rising to his sophomore year, he averaged 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, led the team to the NCAA Final 16, and announced that he would be selected for the NBA draft.
New to the NBA
In the 2011 draft, Junior was selected by the Pacers with the 15th overall pick, and then traded by the Spurs, a move that puzzled everyone how to get rid of Coach Popovich's favorite and George Hill for a rookie with the 15th pick.
At the time, the Spurs' assistant coach said that the team needed to add tall wings to strengthen the lineup, and choosing a small card was a perfect decision.
Under Popovich's coach, the younger card has improved significantly, and when the team participates in training, he often humbly consults with experienced seniors such as Duncan, Parker and Ginobili.
The rookie season, who averaged 7.9 points in 24 minutes per game, and 5.1 rebounds were not bad, making him a rookie of the year.
Long-term defensive training, as well as terrifying reach and physical fitness, made Xiaoka a top defensive player, and in his second year on the team, Xiaoka's statistics are still growing steadily, and he followed the veterans of the Spurs all the way to the NBA Finals.
In the finals, they faced the Heat, who had the Big Three, but the Spurs were not afraid at all, and with the team's unity and cooperation, they achieved a 3:2 advantage.
With only a few seconds left in Game 6, the Spurs were still two points ahead of the Heat, and the Heat, who had no way back, had to resort to foul tactics and foul him when he first received the ball, but Xiaoka missed a free throw in the free throw, leaving the Heat with a glimmer of life.
Then Ray Allen shot, the history-changing three-pointer, successfully tied the score, in overtime and the seven-game battle, the exhausted veterans, finally lost to the young and vigorous Heat Big Three, and finally missed the championship.
"Leonard is a ruthless killing machine, his talent is unmatched, and he is the closest player to Jordan." This is Curry's evaluation of the small card in an interview with reporters.
After the Spurs lost to the Heat Big Three in the Finals, Xiaoka blamed himself very much, and in the constant doubts from the outside world, he resisted the pressure and began to train his offensive skills, and under the guidance of the team's veterans, Xiaoka's progress was very obvious.
In the 2013-14 season, the Spurs bounced back in the shadow of defeat, their eyes were full of the flame of revenge, the three veterans played steadily, and Leonard has evolved from a role player to an all-round small forward who is good at offense and defense.
In the regular season, the Spurs posted a perfect 62-20 record, once again finishing first in the regular season.
In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, Leonard scored 17 points and helped his team win 112-107 in overtime with a death block from Wilson.
And this time the opponent is still the Heat, who has the Big Three, in the first game, James, who is bound to win three consecutive championships, is full of firepower and successfully pulls his teeth at the home of the Holy Village and grabs a victory.
After the Spurs lost a city, Popovich gave the killing order to the little card, and at the beginning of the third game, the small card put on an icy mask and began to kill all sides on the field.
Even the extremely brave Zhan Huang was still powerless to return to the sky when facing Xiaoka's death entanglement, and the Spurs easily brought back the two cities.
After the start of the fifth game, James led the Heat and played a dream start of 13:2, Xiaoka looked at the basket coldly, officially opened the killing mode, dry James, a dragon chased three points, blocked Wade, robbed Ray Allen, Xiaoka completely dominated both offensive and defensive.
In the last three Finals, he averaged 23.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and when the most valuable player in the Finals was announced, Xiaoka slowly walked onto the stage surrounded by his teammates and received the trophy from the Lord of the Rings with an expressionless face, allowing the world to learn the style of the Terminator.
In the 2014-15 season, Jr. was named the league's steal king and won the Defensive Player of the Season, but it was this season that his fortunes at the Spurs took a huge turn.
Although he wore an icy mask as usual and went on the field, his wrist injuries became more and more serious, and after consulting with management, Xiaoka chose an external medical team and missed 15 games after that.
In 2016, Duncan wore five championships to become a Buddha, and the younger card officially became the Spurs' star, and in the 2016-17 season, the younger card led the Spurs to the playoffs and defeated the Grizzlies 4-2 in the first round.
In the second round against the Rockets led by Harden, the younger card did not stop killing at all, and told Harden in 5 games: I am the worthy hegemon of Texas.
In a game against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, he scored 26 points and 8 rebounds in 24 minutes, giving the Spurs a 23-point advantage.
The Golden State dynasty was about to become a laughing stock, and Pachulia made a wreck at this time, which directly led to the reimbursement of the small card season, and the Spurs also completely declined because of this move.
Raptors career
In the 17-18 season, Xiaoka only attended 9 regular season games due to injury, which also caused dissatisfaction among many veterans in the team, and the contradictions within the team became increasingly intensified, and Popovich had no choice but to seek a trade plan for Xiaoka.
"I'm well aware of the situation right now and I could be one of the packages of the deal, but these are inevitable things in your career."
The little card who could not play the game, so silently responded, on 7/19/18, Raptors general manager Ujer, did not hesitate to use DeRozan and Partel, as well as a first-round pick, to trade the small card and iron lin.
At the time, everyone thought that Ujer's decision was too risky and that the Raptors would become nothing next season, but Xiaoka responded to those doubts with practical actions.
In the first six games of his Raptors career, he averaged 20+ points per game, setting a new team record, and scored 31 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals against the 76ers.
At the end of the regular season, the Raptors exchanged Gasol Jr., providing an important guarantee for the team's inside, and Lowry and Xiaoka on the outside, plus Siakam, who is tall and arm-length, this team has fully possessed the potential of a championship team.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Raptors easily won the Magic with a large score of 4:1, and in the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the 76ers, facing Butler, the hardest in the league, Jr. once again turned on killing mode.
He shot 16 of 23 from the field, scored 45 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, set a new career record, scored a single game, and led the team to win the first game.
But in the next two games, Van Jordan and Lowry were not in good form, and even if the younger card cut 30 points per game, it still didn't help, and finally the 76ers won two consecutive cities to pull the big score to 2-1.
The fourth game came to the home court of the 76ers, and at the beginning of the game, the 76ers were on fire, taking turns to score points on the Raptors' heads, and when the little card was feeling overwhelmed, Lowry angrily tore the "trash brother" label and teamed up with the small card to score 16 points in the first quarter.
In the latter quarters, Xiaoka turned into a scoring machine and turned on the killing mode, and he hit three points one after another with his hot touch, and finally scored 39 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists, leading the team to a 101-96 victory over the 76ers and equalizing the score to 2:2.
In the next two matches, both teams won home and successfully advanced the game to the tie-break, and at the beginning of the seventh game, Xiaoka led the team to a 6-0 fight.
But the 76ers, led by Butler, also played very tenaciously, keeping the point difference within 2 points, and with one minute left in the game, Butler forced a breakthrough layup and successfully tied the score.
Seeing that the game was about to enter overtime, Xiaoka's eyes suddenly became cold, and after dribbling through the half-court with the ball, he met Embiid and drifted some distance in the air before shooting, and as the basketball slowly entered the frame, all the fans danced excitedly.
In the end, the Raptors defeated the 76ers 92-90 and successfully advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, where he played 43 points, 41 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, and created the first whistle-blowing kill in NBA history.
In the Eastern Conference finals, Junior faced the Bucks, led by Alphabet Brother, and the Greek Monsters were unstoppable with the home advantage, leading the team to win two consecutive games.
Just when the outside world believed that the future belonged to the alphabet brother, the head coach of the Raptors unsealed the small card and gave it unlimited firing rights.
In the third game, Junior made one steal after another, and easily scored on the Bucks' head with a one-on-four in the box, even the talented alphabet brother still did not help in front of this killing machine.
The Raptors finally defended their home court, successfully won back a city, and successfully defeated the Bucks' offensive, and under the infection of Xiaoka's ruthless killing, the rest of the Raptors finally woke up from their slumber.
In the remaining games, the Raptors were on fire: Bokobe scored in successive breakaways, Van Jordan rained on three-pointers, Junior turned into an offensive kaleidoscope, and the Bucks' defense was completely crushed.
In the end, the Raptors won four consecutive games, successfully cut the Greek monster under the horse, and successfully advanced to the NBA Finals, which was also the first time the Raptors entered the Finals.
And standing in front of them is the Cosmic Braves, who have a strong lineup and have reached the finals for 5 consecutive years, and as soon as the first game began, the Splash Brothers occupied the initiative on the court, and bombarded the outside with three points one after another.
Just when the Raptors were helpless, Siakam, who had been sleeping for a long time, finally stood up at this moment, shooting 14 of 17 from the field, slamming 32 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, and gave two blocks at key moments to successfully help the Raptors win the first city.
In the second game, Kerr used all kinds of strange tactics, the Raptors couldn't figure it out, even if Looney and Towne both retired injured, but the Warriors, who had an absolute score advantage, did not panic.
With Iguodala's last three-point entry frame, the game went smoothly to a 1-1 draw, and the third game returned to the Warriors home, Curry was possessed by the god of war throughout the game, crazy cut 47 points, but in the face of the ruthless killing robot card, still lacked skill.
In this game, Junior scored 30 points silently to help the Raptors win, and in the fourth game, Tang Shen returned in full form, and Golden State fans saw hope again.
But the reality is indeed cruel, all the struggle in front of the killing machine, is meaningless, this game, Xiaoka expressionlessly cut 36 points, leading the Raptors to take the first game point.
Game 5 returns to the Raptors' home court, and Toronto fans sing and dance, waiting for the team to end the series at home.
And at this moment, the Grim Reaper came out with a thousand calls, brandished the scythe in his hand, and hit three three-point points in a row, and just as the Grim Reaper was harvesting, an accident happened.
Durant's Achilles tendon ruptured and he could no longer play the next game, but Durant's advantage of one Achilles tendon in exchange was smoothed out and overtaken by the killing robot in just a few minutes.
But the king was still the king after he fell, and after the start of the fourth quarter, the Splash Brothers took turns again, and finally managed to take over the game and narrow the score to 3:2.
"Kawaii's palms are big and fast, it's hard for me to score in front of him and it's very difficult to beat him." This is what Durant said about the small card after the game.
Back in the Golden State, the Warriors have always held the initiative on the court, but a fast-attack dunk by Tang Shen directly led to the fall of the Warriors dynasty, and Tang Shen was unable to play the next game due to a torn cruciate ligament.
However, the killing machine did not stop his mission because of his opponent's injury, he completely mastered the offensive and defensive breaks, and easily scored above the Warriors' heads.
With just 0.9 seconds left in the game, Jr. walked to the free throw line, where he missed the winning shot six years ago, but this time, he had to finish the Golden State dynasty with his own hands, and with basketball firmly in the frame, the Raptors finally won their first championship after 24 years of team building.
Not surprisingly, Jr. was named the Most Valuable Player of the Finals, and even on the podium, he was expressionless, as if he were a war machine born to kill.
After this game, Xiaoka has unlimited scenery, but the question comes with it, where should Xiaoka go next season, and in the summer of '19, Xiaoka called the thirty-year-old man to indicate his intention to join the Lakers.
Thick eyebrows also entered the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, wanting to join forces with LeBron Jr. to form a Big Three, and the Lakers also suspended all signings at this moment.
In the summer training camp, there were only Kuzma and a septuagenarian man. Even the Lakers management postponed the deal with thick eyebrows, bent on waiting for the small card to join,
Board the clipper
But today's Leonard, who has long been not the kawaii who rushed for life, he dangled LeBron, swung past the Lakers management, and boarded the Clippers at the same time as Paul George.
The Clippers, who fought with the Warriors for 6 games last season, welcomed two MVP candidates while retaining the original team, and directly became the Galaxy Battleship, and they became the favorites to win the championship next season.
The thirty-year-old man who learned the news bluntly said that his feelings were deceived, and the smoke bomb released by the small card team was aimed at disrupting the deployment of the Lakers offseason and weakening the overall strength of the Lakers.
I have to admit that Xiao Ka's means are really smart, but Xiao Ka, who left Toronto, did not stay well with the Clippers, and he and Pepper could not be reconciled at all because of the ball problem, resulting in locker room conflicts.
When the Clippers were overturned by the Nuggets with a 3-1 lead, the Galaxy Battleship sank to the bottom of the sea, and like the Heat Big Three in 2010, they became the biggest joke of the season.
In the 20-21 season, the Clippers played Game 4 against the Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals, and when the Clippers were attacking with the ball, he collided violently with Ingles, resulting in a torn cruciate ligament in his knee.
In the end, due to the absence of Junior, the Clippers also lost to the Suns in the Western Conference Finals and missed the playoffs. When Pepper is no longer a half-god and half-ghost, when Batum is not eating and waiting for death, when the killing machine comes back with full blood, let's wait and see if this galactic battleship can reach the top strongly.