By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
“That’s what star players do,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said about Leonard. “It’s the playoffs, he stepped up. He made a lot of great plays for us. He’s a very determined individual. He’s just beginning to come into his own and realizing the effect he has on a game on both ends of the court.”
The French icon had 18 points in 22 minutes after averaging 10.1 points in the regular season. The 16-year veteran only had two assists, but no turnovers in leading the Spurs to a decisive victory and pased Larry Bird for 9th on the All-Time playoffs scoring list (3.897)! He also has played more career playoff minutes than Bill Russell and moved to 10th in NBA history with 7,498 postseason minutes.
Spaniard Marc Gasol had 32 points, but only seven in the second half as the Grizzlies fell behind by as many as 36 points. Memphis point guard Mike Conley finished with 13 points. Marc’s brother Pau Gasol had 6 points and 4 rebounds for the Spurs while Latvian Davis Bertans added 4 points.