Kawhi Leonard's mesmerizing shot: From release to euphoria

One of thegreatest moments in Toronto Raptors history happened on Sunday night.

The team, the city and the fan base, who have been yearning for more eversince Toronto lostGame 7 to the Philadelphia 76ersin the second round in the 2001, finally got their moment the shot.

Here is Kawhi Leonard's moment broken down in pictures.

The release

With 4.2 seconds left in a 90-90 game, the Raptors were inbounding the ball. Kawhitook the ball and drove to the baseline. With the 76ers' Joel Embiid in his face, Kawhi got up and released the ball with 0.4 seconds on the clock.

The rim

Because Embiid is so tall, Kawhi needed to put extra arc on the ball. This arc helped the ball clank four times off the rim. The Raptors bench heldback. Philly's Ben Simmons (25) calmly watched.Everyone was wondering if Leonard just ended the game, or if the teams would need overtime.

The wait

Leonard crouched, staring at the ball from behind the net. Embiidwas doing the same. The shot carried theirmomentum so far away from the action. The Raptors' Jordan Loyd,doing his best Spiderman pose to Leonard's right,watches with pure emotion. Is the ball going to drop?

The make

The ball dropped. The Raptors won92-90 and advanced to the Eastern Conference final. Leonard's teammates closed inwhileEmbiidwalked away with anoff-seasonahead of thinking about the shot.

The euphoria

"Fun Guy"Kawhi, who is normally reserved and emotionless, eruptedas he liftedthe weight off a fanbase that has been craving this moment for years. He wasmobbed by his teammates. Never has there been a bigger moment, a bigger shot or a bigger winin Raptorshistory.