The Kawhi Leonard renaissance that the NBA didn't see coming

In recent weeks, Kawhi Leonard has looked every bit the elite scorer and perimeter defender the Clippers thought they were getting in 2019 when the NBA Finals MVP joined the team.

LOS ANGELES — Thursday night was the kind of scene the Los Angeles Clippers have dreamed about for nearly a decade: a raucous, sold-out crowd erupting in cheers following the first playoff win in their own arena.

After taking a resounding 2-1 lead in their first-round series against Denver, the Clippers are the NBA championship contender that no one predicted.

And it has been made possible by the career renaissance few saw coming.

In recent weeks, Kawhi Leonard has looked every bit the elite scorer and perimeter defender the Clippers thought they were getting in 2019 when Leonard, weeks removed from earning the second NBA Finals MVP honor of his career, signed with the Clippers in a free-agency coup.

Yet that was six years ago, a lifetime in a league where championship windows open rarely and close quickly.