This is as big as regular season games get. Kawhi Leonard’s fairy tale story in Toronto came to an end, and now he has to return to Toronto as an antagonist. Leonard and company will catch the Raptors in the middle of a small losing streak, and all the negatives of the past week will be magnified with the ex in town.
Leonard being an antagonist does not mean he is a villain. There is room for people to both be bitter at Leonard for leaving and to appreciate what he did in and for Toronto. He was integral in Toronto winning its first ever championship, and for that alone, he should not receive any boos. I don’t expect that to be the case, and neither, for the record, does Leonard himself.
“I mean there will be some cheers but definitely I think more boos because they want to win the game,” he said before shootaround this morning. “They’re not going to be cheering for a player on the opposing team. They’re still rooting for the Raptors.”
That does seem to miss some of the explicit emotionalism surrounding this game, but such is the story of Kawhi Leonard. He recognized that this game will be a little bit special for him while still underplaying how special it will be for Toronto itself.
“Yeah, just getting the ring,” he said, explaining why this game was special. “This is my first time back in the city since the parade. Obviously those flashbacks come back driving over to the arena. Of course it’s a little different tonight, but we’ll see.”
He’s right that we’ll see. It will be emotional for all involved, and I hope that the emotions stay positive on all sides.
As far as the basketball goes, Toronto is facing a very difficult test. The Raptors have shown a great ability to take away an elite wing scorer in any single game, but the Clippers have two of those in Leonard and Paul George. OG Anuonby will guard one, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will see plenty of time as well on Leonard and George. But it’s tough to contain two such elite scorers at the same position. Perhaps just as difficult, Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell are incredible scorers off the bench. Williams is a type of scorer that Toronto has had trouble containing in the past as a secondary pick-and-roll option who can shoot, score in the mid-range, and manipulate defenses into opening up lanes for his teammates. Williams scored a game-high 21 points off the bench when the teams last met.
As Toronto fans well know, Williams runs hot and cold, and he shot a frigid 2-of-19 from the field in Los Angeles’ last game. However, the Clippers still beat a good team in the Indiana Pacers despite Williams’s struggles and without Leonard. They have a variety of offensive weapons, and even taking away the first or second option doesn’t always guarantee Los Angeles won’t create a good shot. Toronto is a fantastic defensive team, but the Clippers are a unique test.
That’s not even discussing Toronto’s offense. They’ve struggled recently, and they’ll need to shoot the ball well from deep to have a chance in this one. Toronto should show up looking to make some statements to their former teammate in Leonard, so expect energy and focus. Those are impossible to muster over a full 82 games, but if they aren’t present in arguably Toronto’s biggest regular season game of the year, there would be something wrong.
GAME INFO
Tipoff: 7:00pm EST | TV: TSN | Radio: 1050
RAPTORS UPDATES
Patrick McCaw (knee), Matt Thomas (finger), and Stanley Johnson (groin) are all out. Fred VanVleet (knee contusion) is listed as questionable.
PG: Kyle Lowry, Terence Davis II
SG: Norman Powell, Oshae Brissett
SF: OG Anunoby, Malcolm Miller
PF: Pascal Siakam, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
C: Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Chris Boucher, Dewan Hernandez
Clippers UPDATES
JaMychal Green (tailbone), Rodney McGruder (hamstring), and Landry Shamet (ankle) are all day-to-day. Leonard will be playing, per Doc Rivers this morning, so there shouldn’t be any threat of a spiteful load management.
PG: Patrick Beverly, Lou Williams, Derrick Walton Jr.
SG: Paul George, Jerome Robinson
SF: Kawhi Leonard, Terance Mann
PF: Moe Harkless, Mfiondu Kabengele, Patrick Patterson
C: Ivica Zubac, Montrezl Harrell
THE LINE
The Clippers are -2.5. The over-under is 221.5
