Leonard seems to think it's just another game.
The Los Angeles Clippers are headed into Wednesday night's Play-In game against the Golden State Warriors with a simple approach, and Kawhi Leonard spelled it out at Tuesday's practice when asked if this feels anything like a Game 7.
"No, not really," Leonard said. "I mean, you could just weigh it into like one of those games in the regular season that gets you a seeding or will get you into the playoffs... but it's a lot that comes into those game settings. We haven't played this team six times in a row."
That last part matters more than people might think.
The Clippers took three of four meetings against Golden State this season, but none of those came back-to-back in a playoff-style setting where you're adjusting on the fly.
This is one game with everything on the line, and Leonard seems comfortable treating it exactly like what it is rather than forcing some manufactured pressure onto the moment.
Leonard Should Be Fresh and Ready to Go
The biggest thing working in the Clippers' favor Wednesday is that Leonard sat out Sunday's finale against these same Warriors with a left ankle sprain and watched Los Angeles win 115-110 without him.
The rest should pay off in a big way.
Leonard has been averaging a career-high 27.9 points this season along with 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 50.5 percent from the field across 65 games.
He had a 57-game streak of scoring 20 or more before sitting, so the version of Kawhi that shows up Wednesday should be locked in and feeling good physically.
The Clippers finished at 42-40 after one of the most unbelievable turnarounds in league history, climbing all the way back from a 6-21 start.
Golden State enters at 37-45, their worst record since 2019-20, and the Warriors have lost seven of their last eight heading into this one.
What the Regular Season Told Us
The season series leaned heavily toward Los Angeles with the Clippers winning three of four.
Leonard had 24 points and 12 rebounds back on January 5 when they edged Golden State 103-102 at Intuit Dome, then scored 23 with eight boards in a 114-101 win on March 2 when the Warriors were missing Stephen Curry, who has averaged 26.6 points per game this season despite missing 27 games with a knee issue.
Curry is back now though and dropped 24 in Sunday's finale, so Golden State will have their best weapon available.
Tyronn Lue has a tag-team approach ready with Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. on Curry, and the Clippers' depth has been a strength since the deadline overhaul brought in Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin.
Leonard treating this with a steady mindset instead of hyping it into something bigger tells you a lot about where his head is at.
He's been through real Game 7s before.
Wednesday at Intuit Dome, if he comes out rested and aggressive, Golden State could be in serious trouble.