Animosity SHOULD run deep, between Kawhi Leonard and the Golden State Warriors, but he doesn’t seem like that kind of guy. Revisionist history says the 2017 Warriors were unstoppable. Actuality, though, is that Kawhi Leonard’s Spurs posed a huge threat.
Even after the Warriors got Kevin Durant, in free agency, the Spurs beat them by 29 points, on opening night, in Oracle. The Warriors rebounded for 67 wins, but Leonard’s Spurs got 61. In the playoffs, the Spurs beat the Grizzlies and Rockets, and had Golden State down 30 in Game 1.
Zaza Pachulia getting in Kawhi’s shooting space removed him from the series, and his injury soon led to him no longer wanting to play for the Spurs. Ultimately, Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Raptors, where he returned to form, leading the Raptors to playoff wins over the Magic, Sixers, and Bucks.
Currently in the NBA Finals, Kawhi Leonard’s Raptors have home court advantage against the Golden State Warriors. In Game 1, Kawhi got his revenge on the Warriors, playing them for the first time since Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals. With the Raptors in control, New Balance, where Kawhi Leonard has his shoe, placed a billboard in Oakland, where they taunt the Warriors, and their fans, showing off the 2019 Raptors’ playoff run.
