TULARE, Calif. — A surprised Rico Abreu ended up in victory lane at the Peter Murphy Classic for the Fujitsu King of the West 410 Series sprint cars at the Thunderbowl Raceway on Saturday night.

Bud Kaeding had the lead coming to the checkered flag when he had an issue with the fourth-turn wall and ended up upside down causing a red flag and the race to go into overtime.

Abreu had just taken over second place from Jonathan Allard who had led the race he was passed by Kaeding. Allard and Colby Copeland made up the front row at the start with the recent series winner at Petaluma jumping to an early lead.

It was Copeland who would lead the first 10 laps until he slowed and who eventually cause a caution when he didn’t make it off the track. Allard would take over the lead on the restart and was closely followed by Kaeding who started in the third spot.

Kaeding passed Allard on the 17th circuit. The race would stay green with Kaeding comfortably up front until lap 24 when the caution would slow the race again when Matt Demartini stopped on the front stretch.  With a clear track, it was Kaeding who appeared to be headed for another Murphy Classic title, only to first to bounce off the second turn wall and then climb the fourth turn wall and flip over, ending his chances at the $11,000 winner’s check.

Abreu and Allard didn’t change positions in the overtime laps, but it was Dominic Scelzi who went from third to fifth.  Both D.J. Netto and Ryan Bernal got around the Roth Motorsports No. 83.

Scelzi won the 25-lap King of Thunder race just an hour before.

Tim Kaeding led the 25 cars entered with a 13:844 second qualifying lap.

The finish:

Rico Abreu, Jonathan Allard, D.J. Netto, Ryan Bernal, Dominic Scelzi, Jason Statler, Mitchell Faccinto, Colby Copeland, Willie Croft, Geoff Ensign, Chase Johnson, Tim Kaeding, Nathan Rolfe, Chelsea Blevins, Sean Watts, Kenny Allen, Mark Barroso, Bud Kaeding, Matt Demartini, Stephen Ingraham, Richard Brace, Craig Stidham, Kyle Hirst, Cole Macedo

SAUK RAPIDS, Minn. — Brad Sweet overcame his own mistake to win Saturday night’s World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series feature at Granite City Speedway.

Sweet was leading the race and battling David Gravel for the lead when his No. 49 Kasey Kahne Racing machine slipped over the cushion in turn four. Sweet remained focused.

“I’ve been on the tour long enough that I don’t let the emotions get to me,” Sweet said.

That mentality led to him overcoming his mistake and claiming his third series win this season and 37th of his career. He also claimed the series point lead from Donny Schatz.

“I was bound and determined I think to win that one,” Sweet said. “I’m just happy to get the win.”

At the start of the 35-lap feature, Sweet was a cheetah among kittens. He rocketed by polesitter Gravel for the lead on the initial start and pulled away by half a track.

Sweet caught lap traffic by Lap six and was lapping up to 14th-place by lap 15.

However, once the race reached the halfway point, Gravel began to reel Sweet in. The obstacle course of lap cars Sweet had mastered became a cluster of road blocks.

Then, with 11 laps to go, the unimaginable happened. Ten-time Series champion Schatz hit the wall exiting turn four, destroying the rear end birdcage and ending his night.

On the following restart, Gravel snuck underneath Sweet, slid up in front of him in turn one and launched to the lead.

“I just spun my tires,” Sweet said. “I was too anxious to make sure I got the jump. Once you get spinning there’s really no way to get your tires back.”

Sweet wasn’t ready to let another win slip away. He followed Gravel’s tracks, riding the high side of the speedway, keeping the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 in sight.

With seven laps to go, Gravel bounced his car off the cushion exiting turn four, drastically killing his speed. Sweet then threw his car underneath Gravel going into turn one and slid back in front of him.

Sweet’s next trip around turn four crashed a wave of shock, excitement and qualm into the crowd. He hammered the cushion, sending his front end toward the wall. While he wrestled to stay off the white barrier, Gravel turned back underneath Sweet and reclaimed the lead.

Sweet was bound and determined, though.

With a Hail Mary slide job, he hurled his car to the bottom of the turn one and slid up in front of Gravel exiting turn two. The lead was his. And in the next few laps, the win was, too.

“All you can do is try your hardest and sometimes when you over try bad things happen,” Sweet said about having to rebound from hitting the cushion. “I thought we had the superior car, so I was frustrated with myself I was even in that position. But it played out right. You’re going to win some of those. You’re going to lose some of those. Luckily, tonight we got the win.”

When Sweet sped away with the lead, Gravel was left having to defend second from a hard charging Logan Schuchart in third place.

“It was a good effort. It was a good race,” Gravel said. “He (Sweet) just pulled away from us early, but I kind of let him go and hopefully I was going to be better than him.”

Sweet’s consistency of five podium finishes in-a-row has led to him holding a 12-point lead over  Schatz.

“Honestly, I don’t pay much attention to the points,” Sweet said. “I don’t want Donny to have a 200-point lead because our goal is to win the championship. But I also know that there are stretches of races that if you’re not running good the points can shift so much.

“At the beginning of my career with the Outlaws, I would look at the points after every race. Now I’m lucky to look at it every three or four races and kind of see where things are at. I know if we’re running good and (Schatz) is behind us we’re going to be gaining. If he’s in front of us every night, then he’s going to be ahead of us. The points will take care of themselves. We’re 26 races into an 80-race schedule. Really, June, July and August are what set the tone for the points. Honestly, we just want to win races.”

To see full results, turn to the next page.

ROSSBURG, Ohio — After decades of visiting Eldora Speedway, Mark Richards and the Rocket Chassis house team has finally won a crown jewel event at the famed half-mile dirt track.

Brandon Sheppard continued his season of dominance behind the wheel of the Rocket1 Racing machine on Saturday night, scoring the $125,000 check after 100 laps in the 25th running of the Dirt Late Model Dream.

This win stands as Sheppard’s first victory at “The Big E” of any kind since his two preliminary feature wins in the 2015 World 100. It also serves as one of the biggest paydays in Rocket1 Racing history and Sheppard could not be prouder to be the man to bring it home for his longtime friends and car owners, Mark Richards and Steve Baker.

“This is just… a day of dreams, that’s for sure,” said Sheppard. “All-in-all, this is one of the big ones that you always want to win, and it just so happens that this year, it paid $125,000. This is just phenomenal, I’m almost at a loss for words.”

Sheppard began his charge to the front right from the drop of the green, advancing 10 positions in just 19 laps. He did so by making the majority of his passes in the low-middle grooves, knowing that saving his tires would be necessary later in the race.

“I was really maneuverable at the beginning of the race,” Sheppard said. “I didn’t have to get up there and rip the cushion too hard, and that was kind of the plan in my head – to not rip the cushion at the beginning of the race, because I didn’t want to wear my tires out like I did in the end.”

The original leaders, Kyle Bronson and polesitter Kyle Strickler, took command out front and led the first 48 circuits before Earl Pearson Jr. came to the front and brought a full head of steam, powering underneath Bronson for second in turn two and then Strickler to take the lead out of turn four.

Once Pearson grabbed the lead, it didn’t take long for him to show his hand, as he opened up a 2.5-second advantage over Sheppard inside of just 12 laps. With the way Pearson was smooth sailing on the top side, it looked as though he was going to be a contender at the end. Until trouble struck the leader with just 29 laps to go…

According to his crew members, Pearson ran over a chunk of another car’s spoiler that was blown up into the middle of his groove, resulting in a punctured right-front tire and forcing him to surrender the lead to Sheppard. Pearson got the tire changed before the ensuing restart, but ultimately ended up calling it quits after getting involved in a wreck with 87 laps in the books.

Meanwhile, 2012 Dream winner Shane Clanton had already been rolling on his charge to the front. Starting back in the 11th position, “The Georgia Bulldog” sat as low as 15th at one point, but got back up on the horse and cracked the whip at lap 60, picking up five spots in just 13 laps to get back into the top five.

“When I fell back there, I just got hung out in the middle on a restart and they went by me on both sides,” he said. “Seven cars passed me in a lap and a half, and then the caution came out again and allowed me to regroup and get my bearings back. I knew we still had a long way to go, so I was just biding my time to get to the front again.”

And get to the front he did, as he fell back to eighth before a caution came out on lap 83 but passed four cars on the ensuing restart to take fourth. A battle ignited with 10 laps remaining for the second spot with Clanton, Dale McDowell and Tyler Erb – one which McDowell won but set Clanton up for the opportunity to come back and pass Erb for third with just two circuits remaining.

“When I got up beside Dale, his crew guys told him to get to the bottom,” Clanton said. “It was cleaning up, and when he got down there it took the air off my nose and I pushed across the middle. I was afraid I was going to lose third, but luckily I was able to hold onto it.”

On the other side of that battle, McDowell put together another terrific effort that his fans are used to seeing from him at Eldora, culminating with an incredible photo-finish at the line as he made a last-ditch effort to try and nip Sheppard for the win.

Once McDowell cleared Erb and Clanton with only five laps remaining, he attacked the low side of the half-mile racetrack and found the grip he needed to catch Sheppard, who was about a half-straightaway ahead at the time. Lap by lap, “The Mac Daddy” chopped away at “The Rocket Shepp” and his lead, reaching the #1’s quarter-panel with only three turns left.

Into turn three they raced, Sheppard nearly scrubbing the outside wall, McDowell hugging the inside jersey barrier. As they came out of turn four, McDowell drifted up the track and appeared to have nosed ahead by inches, but Sheppard hit a little something he’d been using lap-after-lap on the high side to propel him past McDowell for the win by just 0.056 seconds.

“It was one of those deals where I was running the cushion and when I got to the front-straightaway, I was still on the cushion’s bend a little bit, and there was a little hump there and it shot me down the track,” Sheppard said. “We didn’t beat him by much, but it was just enough.”

McDowell simultaneously used the great bite he got on the bottom of turn four and dove for the stripe, making contact with Sheppard and sending himself spinning to a stop in the middle of turn one after the checkered.

“I had a good drive off of the corner and I actually thought I could beat Brandon to the flag,” McDowell said. “He just got a good run up top and came to the finish line before me.”

McDowell had lost a close one, but in the end, knew it was just another racing deal and spoke of it like a true champion, congratulating Sheppard, Richards, Baker and the whole Rocket1 Racing team on their first crown jewel win at Eldora.

“It just wasn’t meant to be,” McDowell said. “We ran second, everybody had a good, safe race. There is a lot of money difference, but you can’t think about that. You just go on to the next one and try to win it.

“We’re proud that we could make it that close and make it exciting for the race fans. Hopefully, we can come back here in September and get us one,” McDowell added.

The finish:

Feature (100 laps): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[15]; 2. 17M-Dale McDowell[13]; 3. 25C-Shane Clanton[11]; 4. 18-Chase Junghans[18]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[7]; 6. 22-Chris Ferguson[20]; 7. 7W-Ricky Weiss[8]; 8. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[19]; 9. 23B-John Blankenship[5]; 10. 29-Darrell Lanigan[27]; 11. 0B-Shannon Babb[28]; 12. 39-Tim McCreadie[4]; 13. 87-Ross Bailes[12]; 14. 8S-Kyle Strickler[1]; 15. 2-Brandon Overton[24]; 16. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 17. 88R-Andrew Reaume[16]; 18. 20-Jimmy Owens[14]; 19. 1P-Earl Pearson Jr.[10]; 20. 7M-Donald Mcintosh[21]; 21. 32-Bobby Pierce[23]; 22. 17-Zack Dohm[25]; 23. 49D-Jonathan Davenport[6]; 24. 7R-Kent Robinson[22]; 25. 3S-Brian Shirley[26]; 26. 28-Dennis Erb Jr.[2]; 27. 1S-Chad Simpson[9]; 28. 99RT-Ricky Thornton Jr.[17]

Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final is scheduled for Sunday night between the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center. The Blues, who lead the series 3-2, can win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history with a victory. What can we expect as the Bruins face elimination? Here's a little primer in today's Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily.

Can the Blues do this?

Yes, but it won't be easy, and they could end up being their own worst enemy.

What's the case for Game 6 being the end of this series?

Teams up 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final are 32-8 for winning the series, although the last team to come back was the 2011 Bruins against the Vancouver Canucks. The Blues are proving to be a juggernaut as the series goes deeper. In games after Game 4 through four rounds, the Blues are an astounding 7-1. But they were outplayed in Game 5, despite the win, as the Bruins had a 61.10 expected goals percentage at 5-on-5. Jordan Binnington was the difference.

What's the case for a Game 7?

Home is not exactly where the success is for the Blues. They're just 6-6 in St. Louis this postseason; even if they win the Cup in Game 6, that home record is going to rank among the most mediocre in NHL history for a champion, even worse than that of last year's Capitals (.545). Plus, Game 3's dud gives us pause. The emotional dynamics of Game 6 are off the charts, with the Cup in the building and the fans ready for the first NHL championship in the city's history. Last time it felt like that, the Blues got off to a brutal start and the Bruins won 7-2. And then there are the refs.

What might Bruce Cassidy's tirade about the officiating mean for Game 6?

Cassidy was rightfully miffed about the missed tripping penalty on Tyler Bozak that led to David Perron's game-winning goal in Game 5, but then cut deeper on the officiating in the playoffs by calling its quality (or lack thereof) a "black eye" for the NHL. The immediate reaction to this screed was that Blues coach Craig Berube handled it better when he worked the refs, and that Cassidy might not have done his team any favors. But the Blues are cognizant that it might also make for a more tightly called Game 6, especially since the Bruins had a legitimate gripe with that missed call.

What are the Blues saying about Cassidy and the refs?

Well, as we said, the Blues could end up being their own worst enemy. They gave up 14 combined power plays in Games 1 through 3, and lost both of those games. They've given the Bruins five combined power plays in the past two games, and won both of those. The Blues know Game 6 could be called more tightly than any other game in the Final.

"We can control it. A big focus for us is discipline. We can't give them any reasons to call penalties. We have to stay out of the box, especially with their power play. It might be a little tighter from the complaints. It's going to be reffed a little closer and we have to be aware of that," center Ryan O'Reilly said.

What's the injury status for various Bruins?

Unlike in Games 3 and 4, Matt Grzelcyk traveled to St. Louis with the Bruins, but is still wearing a red non-contact jersey. He skated in practice with Steven Kampfer, who was the Bruins' seventh defenseman in Game 5, with David Backes scratched. However, Backes skated on the Bruins' second line with Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci on Saturday. As for Zdeno Chara, he was with Charlie McAvoy, was still wearing a fishbowl on his head and didn't have much to say.

Wait ... Chara spoke?

As best he could. After submitting answers to the media in writing before Game 5, Chara talked on the eve of Game 6. He wouldn't specify if his jaw was broken by that deflected shot in Game 4, but said there are no limitations for him. "I feel fine playing. Obviously, it was a quick turnaround after last game here, but I felt fine," he said.

What about the Blues' injuries? What's the status of Robert Thomas?

The Blues surprised many ahead of Game 6 by having Thomas, their injured rookie standout, back in practice and skating with his usual linemates Patrick Maroon and Tyler Bozak. He hasn't played since Game 1 against Boston. The Blues haven't specified what his injury is, but it's an open secret that it's a wrist ailment. The Blues have used both Sammy Blais and Robby Fabbri in his place.

Could he be a difference-maker?

Thomas really struggled before he was pulled from the lineup, with one assist in his last seven games and a minus-5 rating. But Maroon's happy he might return, for one. "Oh, it'd be awesome. He has a lot of skill, he has speed, he brings a different element to the game and I think with him on our line, it makes our line a lot better. He drives the engine with his fresh legs and his young talent. It helps us go," Maroon said.

How will the Blues handle the suspension of Ivan Barbashev?

The Blues' fourth line of Alexander Steen, Oskar Sundqvist and Barbashev has been an effective trio against the Bruins' top lines all series. Sundqvist and Barbashev have been on ice for only one even-strength goal against. The Blues missed Sundqvist in Game 3, getting blown out while he was suspended for a hit in Game 2. Now it's Barbashev who has to sit out after an illegal check on Boston's Marcus Johansson in Game 5. It appears Robby Fabbri, with 10 playoff games to his credit, could be added to the fourth line in his absence. "Not too much adjustment. New guy's going to come in. Me and Steener have to talk a lot, help the other guy out," Sundqvist said.

Speaking of the Bruins' top players, where are they?

It's the story of the series right now: Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and David Krejci don't have a single point between them at 5-on-5 in the Stanley Cup Final (Marchand had an empty-net goal in Game 1). In Krejci's case, not a single point in any situation, after 14 in his first 17 playoff games.

"It's a lot that would go into that," Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo said. "It's not just our defensemen, it's our forwards. It's our forecheck. Everything is connected. It's making them play in the D-zone when you have your opportunity. It's gaps, making them put pucks to where they don't want to. They're a high-octane line and they can beat you so many different ways, so there's so many different things that go into playing them hard and taking away time and space."

If the Bruins are going to extend this thing to a Game 7 back in Boston on Wednesday night, they'll need their top guys to break through.

"I feel they're close, but St. Louis is tough. It's tough to get inside, they defend well, goaltender's playing well. So it's a good battle right now. But I do believe they were better, closer to scoring than they have been," Cassidy said. "And I've said it: Listen, we want them to score, but we've gotten production all playoffs from different players. It's why we're still playing. That's the mindset [for Game 6]. Your best players need to be your best players, but if they defend well and we have a good defensive game, you know, we're in it, I feel someone will step up. Probably them, because they usually do. But same token, we don't want to put so much pressure on them they get outside their overall game, their defensive game, because they're a good line all-around and we don't want them to lose that."

They are great defensively ... but they've also been outscored 4-0 in the Stanley Cup Final through five games. That has to change. And if it doesn't, we might hear "Gloria" while the Blues skate with the Cup on Sunday.

Manchester United record goal scorer Wayne Rooney has urged Old Trafford boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to target young players rather than established superstars in this summer's transfer market.

Solskjaer has a busy summer ahead of him and sources have told ESPN FC there could be as many as five players arriving.

- When are the Premier League fixtures published?
- When does the new Premier League season start?
- Who has qualified for Europe from the Premier League?
- When does the transfer window close?

Harry Maguire, James Maddison, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Ryan Fraser, Declan Rice, Ryan Sessegnon, Sean Longstaff and Nathan Collins are some of the players United are interested in, but the club have so far been put off by what they consider to be vastly-inflated.

"For Ole, I think the first thing he's got to do is try and build the squad," Rooney told BBC Radio Five Live. "I don't think bringing one or two players in for over £100 million is going to really help with the squad and the players who are there.

"I think he needs to try and look at maybe five or six players who have got potential to be top players but you're not spending £120m-£130m on these players.

"I think you spend £30m-£40m and then try to improve them, which will also give you longevity out of the players and allow you to build a squad around the five or six new players that come in, plus a few of the players who are still there.

"You could bring [Cristiano] Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and [Lionel] Messi in, or Gareth Bale for instance, and it's going to cost you £300m-£350m which you'd get what? Maybe two years out of Ronaldo, a couple of years out of Ramos and then you've written that money off."

United have not won the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and have only finished in the top four on two occasions in that time.

And DC United forward Rooney said it is important for supporters to set realistic expectations in order to help with the rebuilding process.

"I just think the club needs to rebuild with younger players. But they need to be good enough and allow the manager to improve them," he added. "And I think the Man United fans will understand that they are probably not going to compete for the Premier League next year.

"So let them have that time, let Ole have that time to build a team for the next two or three years who are going to compete, not only at Premier League level, but at Champions League level."

Catch all the action and analyses from the Australia v India match. You can also follow our ball-by-ball commentary here. If you don't see the blog immediately below, please refresh the page

Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep's future in this World Cup is in doubt after he suffered a hard blow to his bowling hand at training on Sunday.

Pradeep was bowling to Kusal Perera in the nets, when the batsman hit a ball at Pradeep's head. The bowler put his right hand up to his face in self-defence, and suffered a blow to a finger. Team-mates who gathered around appeared to be concerned about the seriousness of the injury. Pradeep himself was in visible pain and was subsequently taken to hospital.

An injury to Pradeep will be a serious blow to Sri Lanka's World Cup hopes, with the fast bowler having bowled the decisive spell in Sri Lanka's only victory of the tournament so far, against Afghanistan. He took 4 for 31 and took home the Player of the Match award.

Pradeep has been injury-prone in general, and has often been ruled out for months on account of hamstring complaints, but this being an external blow will particularly frustrate him, especially as it has come at a time when he was in good bowling rhythm.

Sri Lanka have a replacement ready if Pradeep is forced out of the World Cup. Kasun Rajitha, the 26-year-old right-arm quick, has been traveling with the squad as a standby player.

Follow the action from the latest round of County Championship matches here with our live blog. Send your messages in to the team via Twitter using the hashtag #countycricketlive to join the conversation. If the blog doesn't appear, please refresh the page.

Dominic Thiem is returning to the French Open men's singles final. After fighting off two major match comebacks from Novak Djokovic, including one where the Austrian gave up a commanding 4-1 lead in the final set, Thiem won 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5. It was Thiem's first five-setter at Roland Garros. He faces the King of Clay, Rafa Nadal, in Sunday's final.

FRAN FRASCHILLA ARRIVED arrived at the 2008 Paul Pierce skill development camp at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, waiting to be impressed.

"We had about 25 kids there," said Fraschilla, the ESPN analyst and former college basketball coach, "and I don't want to look at the list of kids and see where they are ranked. I'm going to coach the guys in the drills -- we had a two-hour workout -- and try to make up my mind after the first workout who can play, and who is better than who, or whatever."

With that in mind, Fraschilla put 25 of the best high school wing players in the country through their paces. And, before long, one of them stood out among the rest.

"After the first morning, this kid was always at the front of the line," Fraschilla said. "He never said anything in the drills, but he was a ferocious competitor. When I asked about him, they said he was a local kid from the Inland Empire [a region that begins about 40 miles east of downtown Los Angeles], and we wanted to give him a chance.

"He competed the entire three days and didn't say a word. I don't remember a conversation with him. ... I don't even remember what his voice was at the time."

More than a decade later, the question remains: Who is Kawhi Leonard?

KAWHI LEONARD IS is a man of few words.

His coaches at San Diego State learned that quickly as they were trying to recruit him -- and struggling to get him to return their phone calls.

"He was fun to talk to," said Justin Hutson, one of the assistant coaches on Steve Fisher's staff who was tasked with recruiting Leonard. "But he just wasn't easy to get ahold of.

"Once you got him on the phone, he was engaging, would talk to you. But you just had to be persistent."

Hutson, now the head coach at Fresno State, would regularly get in his car and drive the roughly 100 miles north from San Diego to Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California, to see Leonard practice and play.

Eventually, as Leonard's star began to rise -- he was named California's Mr. Basketball after his senior season -- major conference schools began calling.

"I think he thought we were sincere in what we were saying and how we were behaving," Hutson said.

"It's very simple. He wants to win basketball games, and work hard. He's a loyal guy, and I think that was important to him that we were sincere."

Leonard boiled it down even more.

"I always thought, even just growing up, go with the people that love you the most," he said. "Don't go to somebody that doesn't want you.

"San Diego State was recruiting me, and one of my friends was going there, too, so that was a big part of me going there. And, them sticking around, that was that much better. ... I wanted to go to a school that loved me."

Leonard also wanted to go to a school that provided him a path to the next level. During Leonard's senior year of high school, the Aztecs had a senior wing named Lorrenzo Wade, who was being discussed as a possible NBA second-round pick.

Though Wade ultimately wasn't drafted, it was proof enough to Leonard that the school would give him a true opportunity to chase his ambitious dreams.

"I knew you could go to the NBA from the school, and that's all I wanted," Leonard said. "To go to a school where I could play right away, show my talent and be able to be looked at by scouts."

KAWHI LEONARD IS a man with a single goal.

It's the one underlying principle that has driven him since high school: He never will be accused of not working hard enough.

"I always used to be outside playing, watching the games, trying to work on my moves," Leonard told ESPN. "I was in ninth grade or 10th grade, and [the other players] were seniors, and they were trying to get into Division I. But they started working out too late, so they were looking at D-2. I just never wanted to be in that predicament, where I was scrambling last minute."

That wouldn't be a problem for Leonard, who eventually began to think about bigger goals than Division I basketball. By the time he was a junior in high school, Leonard was confident he could eventually play in the NBA.

"I was 6-6, I could shoot the ball, and I wasn't playing the post just because I was big," Leonard said, surgically ticking off his skills at the time.

And, all the while, he was scanning the competition around him to see how he measured up. As he was preparing for his senior year, another hot prospect from a rival high school, Malcolm Lee, was preparing to begin his college career at UCLA.

"He was better than me at the time," Leonard said. "But I just knew that, if I worked, I could get there."

And among those who knew Leonard best, there was never any doubt that he would put in the work.

"It's very simple. He wants to win basketball games, and work hard." Justin Hutson on Kawhi Leonard

"[He was] self-disciplined," said Clint Parks, Leonard's longtime trainer. "You never had to be like, 'Hey, you needed to be at the gym. Is this important [to you]?' I never had to say that. I don't know if someone else did, but I can't imagine it. Nothing came before getting better."

Leonard was always sizing up the next rung of competition. The Paul Pierce camp where he crossed paths with Fraschilla offered him a singular opportunity to separate himself from the pack. The smaller roster of attendees meant everyone watching would be forced to see how each participant performed.

"It was good, just being able to be in front of NBA scouts who could see what your game was about," Leonard told ESPN. "There wasn't 100 players there, so they could really see you play, and see how you play against the best players."

For Leonard, those best players were the other local stars who served as a measuring stick. There was Lee, the nearby rival whom Leonard saw as a marker to chase down. Ditto for James Harden, another Southern California product who would go on to be the No. 3 pick in the 2009 NBA draft. At first, though, Leonard's goals were far more modest than trying to replicate Harden's rise.

"I just always looked at the last guy on the end of the bench, and thought I could be better than him," Leonard said. "I thought I always had a chance."

Others, though, knew Leonard could be more.

"He was an NBA player when he was a freshman in college," Trevor Ariza told ESPN.

KAWHI LEONARD IS not afraid to test himself against the best.

When he was working out at San Diego State in 2010, between his freshman and sophomore seasons, he got word that Ariza -- then firmly entrenched as an NBA player, and already having won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers -- would be working out on campus.

So Leonard sought out Ariza, who had come to work out with his trainer, former Aztecs guard Tony Bland, and asked to take part. Ariza agreed, and found himself immediately impressed with how Leonard handled himself.

"Man, my first impression of him was, 'This kid is here to work, period,'" Ariza told ESPN with a laugh. "No matter what."

That summer in San Diego, Ariza was putting in plenty of work. Every day, he would get in the gym twice -- once early in the morning, and then again in the evening. It was a grueling schedule, one Ariza thought would put him above and beyond anyone else.

There was only one problem: Leonard.

"I prided myself on being there first person in all the time," Ariza said. "And, when I got there, he was already there. He'd done everything he needed to do, and he was ready to work out again. ... When I saw the work ethic he had, I knew he was going to be special."

Leonard was motivated to show up early to test himself against an NBA player. And Ariza wasn't just any NBA player. He was someone Leonard respected -- but also someone who didn't overwhelm the young forward on the court.

"Trevor was big for me in college," Leonard said. "Playing against him, I just felt like I held my own at the time.

"I probably won a game. I don't remember. ... [but] I was fortunate he would let me work out with him."

Leonard might not remember, but Ariza certainly did.

"He was winning one-on-one drills that we were playing. He didn't win them all, but he wanted to," Ariza said with a laugh. "He went as hard as he could every single time. ... He has that edge to him that you need to be the caliber of player that he is."

KAWHI LEONARD IS still improving.

When Leonard was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2011 draft and immediately traded to the San Antonio Spurs, he was seen as a player with a nice future as a defensive stopper on the wing.

"Just how long his arms were and how big his hands were, like everybody else," Danny Green told ESPN with a smile, when asked what stood out about Leonard when he first met him. "He's like a science experiment.

"At first, nobody could gauge or guess [what he'd become]. Nobody could predict that. Nobody looked at him as something special."

The first signs of something different about Leonard, though, came right after the Spurs got their hands on him. With an NBA work stoppage rapidly approaching, there were only seven days when the Spurs could work with him before he wouldn't be allowed to have contact with the team.

So Leonard spent as much of the week between the draft and the lockout as possible working with Chip Engelland, the Spurs' famed shooting coach; the knock on Leonard coming into the draft had been that he struggled to make shots consistently. By the time Leonard returned to San Antonio after the 161-day lockout ended, he had completely remade his shot. After making just 29% of his 3-point attempts from the shorter college line as a sophomore, he shot 37.6% from beyond the arc as a rookie, fifth best among rookies who attempted at least 100 3-pointers that season.

Things quickly escalated from there, to the point where Leonard has grown into arguably the best player in the world -- one capable of impacting games at both ends from anywhere on the court, as he did to start the third quarter of Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers over Draymond Green, sandwiched around stealing the ball from him.

"I think maybe a couple years ago, early in his career when he first started coming into his own, there was a lot of, 'Where the f--- did this come from?'" Danny Green said. "Coming into the league he was a defensive guy and he became a one-on-one offensive guy who could shoot the ball from 3.

"When he started emerging, I think teams were like, 'Wow.'"

Leonard's 36-point performance Friday night was his 14th 30-point game this postseason. Only Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have had more. It's impressive company for someone who wasn't seen as a scorer when he came into the league.

"You got to give him his credit," Draymond Green said. "He imposed his will on the game, and all the other guys followed him. So I'm not sure if it will ever look like those other guys, but he gets the job done."

As for how he gets it done, Parks has a simple explanation.

"I always tell people, 'Kawhi Leonard has been the truth,'" Parks said. "His story is about his work ethic, if you ask me. That's what will always stand out about him."

KAWHI LEONARD IS a fun guy.

That was his description of himself -- one he immediately followed up with "I love the game of basketball" -- when introduced to the Toronto media in September. New Balance launched a "Fun Guy" campaign after signing Leonard earlier this season, and the unusual laugh that ended his answer at that media session has since become the stuff of viral legend.

But those who know Leonard away from the court will unanimously say he's far funnier than given credit for.

"There's no question he has a dry sense of humor," Hutson said. "That describes him very well."

Raptors teammate Kyle Lowry backed up that sentiment.

"He's funny as s---," Lowry said. "He's got a dry sense of humor. He's got a Vince Vaughn-like [sense of humor]."

This statement was later relayed to Leonard.

"Vince Vaughn? Who's that?" Leonard asked.

One of the stars of "Old School" is described to Leonard, who shows a glimpse of recognition.

"Oh, yeah, yeah. I know who you're talking about," Leonard said, breaking out in a smile.

Then, he pauses.

"I don't know. I guess people describe you better than yourself, right?"