- On May 12, 2019, Kawhi Leonard's last-second shot gave the Toronto Raptors a 92-90 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7.
- The ball bounced on the rim four times before it dropped through the net.
- It was the first Game 7 in NBA history to be won by a shot at the buzzer.
- Toronto went on to win its first NBA championship a month later.
Most buzzer-beaters are over in a blink. The ball goes in or it does not, and the building reacts.
This one made a whole arena wait. The ball hit the rim, and then it hit the rim again, and again, and again.
Game 7, tied at 90
A playoff series in the NBA is the best of seven games. If each team wins three, everything comes down to Game 7. The winner moves on and the loser's season is over.
That was the situation in Toronto on May 12, 2019. The Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers were playing Game 7 of their second-round series.
With 4.2 seconds left, Philadelphia's Jimmy Butler scored a layup to tie the game at 90. Toronto called a timeout. Everyone in the arena knew who was getting the ball.
4.2 seconds
Marc Gasol passed the ball in to Kawhi Leonard. Leonard dribbled to his right with Ben Simmons chasing him. He kept going, all the way to the corner of the court.
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia's 7-foot center, ran out to meet him. Leonard jumped and shot the ball over Embiid's outstretched arm. He had to send it very high to get it over him.
The horn sounded while the ball was still in the air.
Four bounces
The shot came down on the near side of the rim and bounced straight up. It came down and hit the same side again. Then it rolled across, touched the far side twice, and fell through the net.
Leonard had crouched down in the corner to watch it. Embiid stood right next to him, watching the same thing. A photograph of that moment, with players and fans frozen and staring at the ball, won first prize for sports at the 2020 World Press Photo awards.
The horn had already sounded. The ball was still deciding.
Final score: Raptors 92, 76ers 90.
Why the basket counted
A shot at the buzzer does not have to go in before time runs out. It only has to leave the shooter's hand before the clock reaches zero.
After that, the ball can take as long as it likes. It can bounce once or four times. If it goes in, the points count. Referees check the video on plays like this to make sure the ball was released in time. Leonard's was.
Leonard's night
| Stat | Number |
|---|---|
| Points | 41 |
| Shots made | 16 of 39 |
| Rebounds | 8 |
| Time left when he got the ball | 4.2 seconds |
| Bounces on the rim | 4 |
| Final score | Raptors 92, 76ers 90 |
He took 39 shots, which tells you how much Toronto leaned on him. Nobody else on the team was scoring easily that night. He scored 15 of his points in the fourth quarter.
A first in NBA history
Game 7s have been played since the 1940s. Plenty of them were decided in the final seconds. Until that night, none had been won by a shot at the final buzzer.
For Toronto it was more than a great finish. The franchise had a long history of playoff heartbreak. In 2001, a Raptors shot at the buzzer in a Game 7 against the same Philadelphia team bounced off the rim and out. This time the bounces went Toronto's way.
What came after
Embiid walked off the court in tears. He had played the whole series with an illness and a sore knee, and his season ended on a shot he had defended about as well as anyone could.
The Raptors kept going. They lost the first two games of the next round to the Milwaukee Bucks and then won four straight. In the NBA Finals they beat the Golden State Warriors in six games.
It was the first championship in Raptors history, and the first won by a team based outside the United States. Leonard was named the most valuable player of the Finals. A few weeks later he left to join the Los Angeles Clippers. He had played one season in Toronto.
Wondering why the rim he bounced it on is exactly where it is? Read why the hoop is 10 feet high.