Raptors star Kawhi Leonard finished the 2019 NBA Finals with averages of 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks, so it was no surprise he earned the Finals MVP trophy after leading Toronto to its first title in franchise history.
What did come as a surprise? Leonard not receiving every Finals MVP vote. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
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The Athletic's Sam Amick shared the results from the 11 voters, and legendary NBA analyst Hubie Brown decided to go with . . . Fred VanVleet.
NBA Finals MVP voting results. Kawhi was a Hubie Brown vote away from being unanimous. pic.twitter.com/A0sGNchSBg
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 14, 2019
VanVleet posted 14.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from 3-point range. He had a huge performance in the deciding Game 6 on Thursday night, scoring 22 points and drilling five of his 11 3-point attempts.
To be clear, the Raptors needed VanVleet's stellar play off the bench throughout this playoff run. He came up huge in the Eastern Conference finals against the Bucks, and he reached double-digit points in five of the six NBA Finals games against the Warriors.
With that said, come on, Hubie. Sometimes the easy answer is the right one. Let's explain this in your terms:
"Now here's a guy that can do it all. You see the scoring, the rebounding, the defense. There's the drive, and then you have the jumper in the midrange. And how about that efficiency?! Just a terrific player. I mean, what else do you have to see from him?"
