When the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat clashed in the 2014 NBA Finals, Kawhi Leonard proved to be the biggest reason why the Spurs easily dismissed the Heat in five games. For the series, Leonard averaged 17.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.6 SPG and 1.2 BPG while shooting an incredible 61 percent from the field to go along with an impressive mark of 58 percent from three-point land.

His tenacity and confidence was the difference-maker, especially on offense, as he continually attacked the rim and showed LeBron James that he could hang with him on both sides of the floor. Leonard guarded James as well as he possibly could have. His quick hands, long arms and outstanding footwork and positioning consistently frustrated James and forced him to take low-percentage, contested jump shots.

But many have wrongly equated the Spurs’ dominance of the Heat last season to the James vs. Leonard matchup. The Spurs absolutely destroyed the Heat, and Kawhi played outstanding offense and defense against James.

But did he own James or shut him down? Not even close.

During that series, James averaged a ridiculous 28.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 2.0 SPG while shooting a red-hot 57 percent from the field and 52 percent clip from outside. I would say those are some pretty good numbers, wouldn’t you?

Still, there have been many analysts and fans who have claimed that Leonard is the only player in the league who can match up with James and stop him on defense. This has proven to be false every single time these two players have met.

Just last month, when the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Spurs in thrilling fashion on the road, James recorded 31 points,  seven rebounds and five assists on 50 percent shooting from the field. Kyrie Irving might have stolen the show with his 57-point performance, but James was every bit as good on the floor against Leonard.

With that said, there is no doubt whatsoever that Leonard is the best defender in the NBA. He is unquestionably the guy any team would want to have guarding James. And he plays phenomenal defense on him by forcing him to take some really tough shots occasionally. But just because it is popular to hate on James due to his superstar status and love Leonard for his quiet, humble approach to the game, does not mean you get to leave stats out of the argument. Statistically, James still plays extremely well against Leonard, demonstrating once again that no one in basketball can “stop” him.

This still does not take away the thrill of the matchup, as it remains riveting to watch Leonard not just go at James on defense, but on offense as well. Leonard has elevated his game tremendously over the last few months of the season, and if these two meet again in the NBA Finals, it will be fun to watch them battle on the biggest stage in basketball for a third-consecutive time.

But everyone needs to stop saying Leonard is the only one who has the ability to stop James. It just is not true. He will still play fantastic defense and make James work for everything he gets, but in the end, James is a wrecking ball who cannot be slowed down. But as we saw last year, only one player can do so much for his team, which is why I still believe Leonard and the Spurs will prevail in the NBA Finals in five games when they meet James and the Cavaliers this June due to the Spurs’ sizable advantage in depth compared to the Cavaliers.

Dan Schultz is an NBA sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.