Kawhi Leonard’s importance to the Spurs was more apparent than ever in Game 1

In a league where most players’ value is determined by impact on the floor, Kawhi Leonard’s importance to the San Antonio Spurs was defined by his time off it.

After the All-Star forward left for good following a series of third-quarter ankle injuries, a once stagnant Golden State Warriors offense took off. The Dubs outscored the Spurs, 71-49, in the second half to steal Game 1 with a 113-111 win at home.

Leonard first went down via a freak accident, where he stepped on the ankle of teammate David Lee, who was sitting on the bench just inches away. After leaving and re-entering, Leonard landed on Zaza Pachulia’s foot and exited for good. Both were injuries to the same ankle he hurt in Game 5 against the Houston Rockets.

Golden State used an 18-0 third-quarter run to help shave away a 25-point deficit. They outscored the Spurs, 58-33, in the 19:53 with Leonard off the floor, taking full advantage of a San Antonio team already lacking veteran leadership without Tony Parker (ruptured quad), who is out for the foreseeable future.

There was a reason Leonard’s name had been affixed into the Most Valuable Player voting. Sure, Russell Westbrook and James Harden had historic seasons for their respective teams, but without Leonard, the Spurs are nowhere near the championship contender they are this season.

After all, it was Leonard who was named an All-Star starter, finishing the regular season averaging 25.5 points per game on borderline 50-40-90 club numbers while simultaneously defending the opposing team’s best player. And it was Leonard who improved to Herculean numbers — nearly 28 points, eight rebounds, and five assists per game on better than 52 percent shooting, 47 percent on threes, and 92 percent from the line — in the playoffs to propel San Antonio to the Western Conference Finals.

The Spurs were able to get by in their second-round series against the Houston Rockets because, like Stephen Curry said immediately following Game 1, San Antonio’s system is still the same. They thrive on ball movement, with or without Leonard, and the Rockets — an offense-always squad — were ill-equipped to handle San Antonio’s gameplan.

System alone, however, won’t be enough if they hope to make the Finals. Golden State is incredibly skilled from top to bottom, and when the Warriors’ system comes up short, they have an all-world scorer in Kevin Durant to feed.

With Leonard on the floor, the Spurs were able to jump out to a 25-point lead. They made the Warriors look like a D-League team as they piled on baskets from all angles. That attack started with their All-Star forward.

It’s unclear how long Leonard will be out, but one thing is certain: The Spurs had better hope for a speedy recovery.