The San Antonio Spurs managed to close out their first-round series against the Grizzlies with a 103-96 victory in Memphis on Thursday night.

To the surprise of no one, the Spurs needed a huge effort from star forward Kawhi Leonard in order to pick up the tough road victory.

Leonard finished with a game-high 29 points and also added nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in a well-rounded effort.

Leonard's big contributions throughout the regular season and now into the postseason have only added to the amount of respect coach Gregg Popovich has for his star player. Pop told CBSSports.com after Game 6 that he thinks the San Antonio forward is the best player in the NBA:

"We don't execute as well as Memphis did," Popovich said. "We have a knack for hanging in 'cause things happen, and obviously Kawhi Leonard is, in my opinion, the best player in the league right now. He's the best two-way player, and does it all with such class, it's impressive."

Leonard is a quiet guy, so he's not going to talk himself up, but Popovich clearly thinks his star forward deserves more attention than he's getting, which is understandable.

Popovich isn't Leonard's only fan, though - Memphis coach David Fizdale also thinks Kawhi is one of the game's best right now:

"The thing that just makes him different is I just don't know many possessions that he takes off because he plays both ends of the floor so well," Fizdale said. "And his conditioning is like nothing I've ever seen. I mean, the guy, he just keeps coming and keeps coming and keeps coming and he finds a way to make a play, a winning play, whether it's a steal, a block, a rebound, a drive, pass. He made plays tonight off the dribble. You know, he makes a good argument. I would say that about my own guy, too."

Leonard has no shot to win this year's MVP award after what Russell Westbrook and James Harden have done offensively, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be given the credit he deserves.

The Spurs will go only as far as Leonard can carry them, and his defensive matchup against Harden in the second round will be a lot of fun to watch.

If Leonard can do what no one else has been able to do and slow down The Beard enough to keep the Spurs close, he can take over in the fourth quarter and keep San Antonio rolling through the postseason.