The San Antonio Spurs haven’t encountered much resistance from the Memphis Grizzlies through two games of the 2017 first round series between the two teams. Much of that dominance from the No. 2 seed stems from All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard, who happens to be operating in his emotionless but dominant way.
To that end, Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale was asked about Leonard in advance of Game 3 and, after his epic rant about officiating after Game 2, he put on another show in (much) different fashion.
Leonard is averaging 34.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the series, while also shooting an absurd 71.4 percent from the floor and 28-for-28 from the free throw line. Fizdale’s description of Leonard as a “robot” isn’t a new idea but the way he described it was fantastic.
“He was standing next to me the other night and he wasn’t breathing,” Fizdale remarked. “He wasn’t breathing. So I’m going to check the rule book and find out if robots are allowed to play in the NBA because, somehow, Pop and them have figured out … they know something I don’t know. I think he bleeds like anti-freeze or something. This guy … he is special, man. I love it.”
Gregg Popovich is certainly aware of Leonard’s unusual and even-keeled demeanor so, if that means that the Spurs have it “figured out,” then it seems likely that San Antonio’s staff is alright with that. David Fizdale, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly a household name before this match-up began but, if he keeps it up, that will change in a hurry, even as he operates as the head coach of a small-market squad.
