By saying nothing, Kawhi Leonard allows us to observe his greatness unobstructed by any personal offense he takes, be it real or perceived.
If you're a Thunder fan you probably abhor the Spurs small forward, especially after he came up with his best game of the postseason Friday night to lead his team to a 100-96 win in Oklahoma City and a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.
Leonard scored 31 points on 9-for-17 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, all while checking Kevin Durant the last five minutes of the game. Done for the most part with his signature blank facial expression, it was the type of performance that spectators have come to expect from the 6-7, 230-pounder who opens up about as often as the Dalai Lama pops the top on a bottle of champagne.
MORE: Second-round photos | How Durant could wind up on Spurs
The man wouldn't even crack a smile for ESPN's Cari Champion after he was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the second season in a row.
Even his teammate, all-star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, has said he doesn't really know much about him beyond basketball.
Like the system Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has crafted around him, Leonard was the model of efficiency Friday night.
Russell Westbrook, who has won back-to-back All-Star Game MVP awards, scored 31 as well, but needed 31 field-goal attempts to do so. Durant scored 26 on 10-of-18 shooting, but he managed just two points down the stretch once Leonard started guarding him. While Durant and Westbrook were taking turns giving the ball away late, Leonard was beasting, scoring 11 points and adding steal in the fourth quarter.
Leonard came up with what will likely go down as the game's biggest play when pulled in a key offensive rebound off an Aldridge miss after the Thunder had nearly erased a seven-point deficit in the game's final 1:08.
Leonard outplayed Westbrook all game, and all but shut down Durant when it mattered most.
This all came on the heels of an uncharacteristic outing Monday night in Game 2, a 98-97 Spurs loss, when Leonard scored just 14 points while shooting below 40 percent from the field for the first time in the playoffs. He proved his resiliency Friday in leading his team to a win and possession of the home-court advantage it had relinquished.
Enough>