Game 7 takeaways: Leonard sends 76ers packing with epic game-winner

Kawhi Leonard got four friendly bounces from the Scotiabank Arena rim to knock down the first ever buzzer-beating shot in Game 7 history, ending the Philadelphia 76ers' season while sending the Toronto Raptors to the Eastern Conference finals.

Here are some takeaways from Toronto's 92-90 victory:

The shot

Leonard struggled with his jumper all night before taking over down the stretch, scoring 13 of the Raptors' final 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The run culminated in the greatest singular moment in Raptors history: Leonard beating Ben Simmons to his spot, elevating over Joel Embiid's outstretched arms, and delivering an epic series-winner in front of the home bench.

"I'm a guy that acts like I've been there before, so probably the last time you see me scream is when we won (tonight)," Leonard said of his uncharacteristic emotional explosion after draining the shot. "Whenever it's like a moment I haven't really experienced, I'll probably try to show some emotion, and let it all out. Tonight was one of those nights. I've never been in that situation before."

The last time a winner-take-all NBA playoff game was decided by a buzzer-beater was when Michael Jordan beat Cleveland in Game 5 of a 1988 first-round series.

Leonard's shot was also eerily similar to the opportunity Vince Carter squandered for the Raptors 18 years ago against the same opponent.

The unsung heroes

The night forever belongs to Leonard, but the Raptors would be planning their offseason right now if not for the Game 7 contributions of Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka.

Lowry shot 4-of-13 from the field and 1-of-7 from deep, but the Raptors point guard's fingerprints were all over this win. He finished with six rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 39 minutes of action and made a plethora of game-changing plays on the defensive end and on the glass.

Lowry may have single-handedly saved Toronto's season over a three-minute stretch to end the third quarter. After the Sixers went up four, he scored two points, grabbed two offensive rebounds, then recorded a steal and an assist, helping to give the Raptors a three-point lead heading into the fourth. It's moments like this why - even on another poor shooting night - Lowry still finished as the only Raptors starter with a positive plus-minus.

As for Ibaka, the veteran big man posted 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds - including four offensive boards - three assists, and a game-high plus/minus of plus-22 in what ended up a two-point game. Aside from Leonard, Ibaka was also Toronto's most willing and confident shooter on the night, knocking down three triples on five attempts despite coming into Game 7 having failed to convert multiple 3-pointers this postseason.

Gasol matches Embiid

No matchup in this series has been discussed ad nauseam quite like the battle between centers Joel Embiid and Marc Gasol. On Sunday, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse finally matched Embiid's minutes - second for second - with Gasol's.

Embiid finished with 21 points on 6-of-18 shooting while grabbing 11 rebounds, handing out four assists, and recording three blocks in 45:11 of action. He also turned the ball over four times, leaving his series numbers looking like this with Gasol on the court vs. off:

The pair did share a special post-game moment, however, with Gasol there to comfort a devastated Embiid while the rest of the Raptors mobbed Leonard. "Marc has a lot of class. Obviously, I have a lot of respect for him. He was just talking to me, making sure he let me know that I'll be right there in this moment (again) further in my career. I have a lot of respect for him, and he's a great guy," Embiid said of the post-series meeting.

What to make of the Sixers

Ben Simmons' confidence grew as the series wore on, particularly in the way he attacked and defended Leonard. Jimmy Butler remains a professional bucket-getter whose game feels tailor-made to the game's biggest moments. Embiid, though he struggled in his matchup against Gasol and battled knee issues and illness at various points in the series, clearly left every ounce of himself on the court. The All-Star center was brought to tears by the heartbreaking finish and was inconsolable as he made his way to the visiting locker room after the final buzzer.

The Sixers have emerged as a potential Eastern Conference power, but the organization also threw caution to the wind in making win-now moves for Butler and Tobias Harris in the middle of the season. Is a hard-fought, second-round exit enough of a reward to satisfy those managerial risks? Brett Brown's job is reportedly on the line, and both Butler and Harris are pending free agents.

Philly could soar into the luxury tax to run it back, but the front office has to ask itself how realistic it is to keep the trio of Embiid, Simmons, and Butler together. Butler needs the ball to dominate to his maximum potential, but Simmons' aversion to shooting means there's little offensive use for the oversized point guard off the ball. It might make sense to either surround the Simmons-Embiid duo with shooting or to see what the organization can fetch in a potential Simmons trade and use those pieces to build around Embiid and Butler.

Quote of the game

"I don't give a damn about The Process." - Embiid on where the Sixers' "process" currently stands.

What to watch for

For the first time this postseason, the Raptors will open a series on the road, as the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks await in the East finals. The Bucks have looked the part of championship juggernaut all year, with a bevy of shooting and defense to support MVP front-runner Giannis Antetokounmpo. One positive Raptors fans can lean on is that Playoff Kawhi might be one of the few players on the planet capable of outplaying The Greek Freak right now.