{"id":2020507,"date":"2026-07-01T02:13:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T23:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2020507"},"modified":"2026-07-01T02:13:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T23:13:39","slug":"kawhi-leonards-raptors-return-puts-hilarious-finish-to-story-between-team-and-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2020507","title":{"rendered":"Kawhi Leonard\u2019s Raptors return puts hilarious finish to story between team and star"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In his first tenure as a Toronto Raptor, Kawhi Leonard both delivered the greatest moment in franchise history and deepened an inferiority complex that has surrounded the team since its inception. Pretty impressive work in less than a calendar year.<\/p>\n

You remember the high points: the iconic four-bounce series-winner against Philadelphia, the all-time playoff run culminating in closing out Oracle Arena with three straight wins and an NBA title for the Raptors. And yet, the franchise that always had issues, real and perceived, attracting and keeping stars, still had to watch Leonard leave Toronto for the LA Clippers \u2014 not even the Lakers! \u2014 after the season ended. Leonard\u2019s stay in Toronto started with Raptors president Masai Ujiri urging Raptors fans to \u201cBelieve in the city. Believe in yourselves\u201d when Leonard and Danny Green were asked about the team\u2019s perception around the league. It ended with confirmation that little had fundamentally changed regarding the Raptors\u2019 status in the star-obsessed NBA, despite the team\u2019s best efforts, not to mention the banner that would hang forever.<\/p>\n

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What a reunion with Kawhi means for the Raptors<\/div>\n
Eric Koreen and Jeshua Kidd<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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