Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beater to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in game seven of the play-offs and send the Toronto Raptors to the NBA Conference finals has been described as a “movie moment”.
The ball bounced four times on the rim before dropping in as the Raptors won 92-90 to claim the series 4-3.
They will now play the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals.
“It was short, then it was long, then it was in,” said Toronto’s Marc Gasol of Leonard’s winner.
Team-mate Fred VanVleet added: “It was like a movie moment.”
The Raptors are attempting to reach the NBA finals for the first time in their history.
They signed Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs, with whom he won the NBA in 2014, in July 2018.
“I’m a guy that acts like I’ve been there before. So probably the last time you’ve seen me scream was when we won [in 2014],” said Leonard, who finished with 41 points.
“Whenever it’s a moment that I haven’t really experienced, I’ll try to show some emotion and let it come out. Tonight was one of those nights. It was a great feeling.”
The Raptors are attempting to reach the NBA finals for the first time in their history.
