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floatersforalgernon

That's actually an awww response. Toronto should be proud.


[deleted]

So cute


aishunbao

Kawaii Leonard


SANTAAAA__I_know_him

“What about Detroit fans?” “Nah.”


wrongitsleviosaa

W name my G


akom94

The Kl’Awwwwwww


DarkChocolate_69

Damn I miss him


MrGrieves-

Really wish he just gave us one more year. The run it back chance was strong. No hard feelings tho.


Just-use-your-head

Y’all had to make the sacrifice so he could blue-ball the fuck out of the Lakers. The league thanks you


AfrikanCorpse

Lmao forgot about that. Shit was cold af


Plies-

Never forget RDAmbition as well


WartyComb39498

is his account still active? paging u/RDAmbition edit: nope. understandable given the negative attention he got. he's still on twitter tho. his most recent tweet is on mutual interest between boogie and the lakers and one of the replies brings up kawhi. no escape [https://mobile.twitter.com/rdambition_](https://mobile.twitter.com/rdambition_)


[deleted]

Blue-balled straight to a championship — so cold!


Goonchar

Blue balled right into a Title


FalloutNano

True, but maybe we go after Butler if we don’t wait for Kawhi.


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FalloutNano

Because discussions are interesting? It’s not serious.


MrFundamentals101

No one counts the bubble ring. Sorry man


Goonchar

[Sorry to break it to you.....](https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2020.html)


minafanboy

Found the lil bro from NBA twitter


rydog123bruh

Ended up working out great. Still no title for the clippers anytime soon with PG and Kawhi’s health. Kawhi has played less than AD the last 3 years.


DocCharlesXavier

With kawhi, lakers could've been a dynasty. probably preserve AD"s body more as well


Im_A_Sociopath

With how much he's hurt, can you really say that?


rydog123bruh

Lakers could have been a dynasty if they didn’t keep replacing most of the roster every year. We also don’t build the same title team having to shell out for Kawhi.


AggroAssault

I actually don’t think Lakers win one with Kawhi We’d have the same issue as we had with Russ, too much money going to the big 3 and no talent outside of that I think Kawhi going to the Clippers was a blessing in disguise because the Lakers were forced to spend money on role players which was the best way for us to win


throwaway__rnd

So blue balled that we won the chip and he’s been injured since. Rent free lol.


DiggWuzBetter

Same, would’ve loved to see that team go for it again, we would’ve had a very legit chance to repeat, but I also understand Kawhi’s decision. We traded for him, he didn’t chose to come here, and he never said he was staying. He wanted to go home. Respect for him balling the fuck out for us for a year, and being a massive part of winning us a ring. Wish it lasted longer, but I still loved that season as a Raps fan.


Liyarity

I think I remember reading somewhere that he didn’t expect to enjoy Toronto as much as he did, and choosing to go to LA was harder than he thought it’d be. Couldn’t tell you where I heard that though


JevvyMedia

Probably fan fiction but it sounds believable.


guffzillar

Yeah, great he played so well but dont forget he was playing for a contract too lol The guy basically HAD to play hard to showcase his value.


jackmtr

As much as I wish he did too, I think he made the right choice. Looking in hindsight, he definately has long term issues with his legs, and signing a 1+1 deal with the raptors could've easily went sideways for his career wealth. He was smart to get locked up long term.


Eyebarah

And some raptor fans had the nerve to boo him during the game smh


sleepy416

Anyone who boo’d him started watching basketball April 2019


XenaRen

More like July 2019. Anyone who witnessed the playoffs shouldn’t be booing that man.


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DressedSpring1

Seeing Boston fans talkin about other fanbases behaviour is always the most spectacular display of having no self awareness at all


Just_Learned_2_Dance

Couldn't both be condemned? I'm an Eagles fan. Never booed Santa, never threw batteries on the field, never condoned any of that bullshit behavior. Doesn't mean I can't call out other bullshit behaviors from other sports fans. Edit: Or does it? Maybe I'm missing something.


DressedSpring1

‘Cause he’s not calling out shit, he’s trying to say it’s a given Toronto fans would boo Kawhi because of something else they did as though that makes them particularly bad across the league when literally every fanbase has embarrassing shit they’ve done. It’s hilariously tone deaf to say something like “oh big surprise Toronto did this” because you’d have to either be unaware of Boston’s own problems or you are aware and genuinely do believe you can paint fanbases that way with a broad brush except your own fanbase doesn’t count. Or I guess the third option is that he does think all fanbases are homogenous groups of people with identical behaviours and he’s one of the problematic people in Boston I guess.


Just_Learned_2_Dance

Alright I see what I was missing lol. Fair enough


EggianoScumaldo

Don’t say this around Celtics fans, they think Boston is the most progressive city in America.


volantredx

Canada has some of the worst sports fans.


Boomhauer_007

Imagine saying this in the city where the cubs and bears exist


johnscat

If you think Toronto sports fans are much different than any major American city you have your head up your ass lmfao.


ZeroMayCry7

I’ll take bad sports fans over violent crime and shootings any day


TriedForMitchcraft

Can't believe people are upvoting this shit. Chicago's not even top 20 in violent crime or gun violence.


Rezrov_

> Chicago's not even top 20 in violent crime or gun violence. Congrats!


TriedForMitchcraft

I’m not the guy that shit on Toronto fans but it’s insane to bring up a city’s crime in response


[deleted]

I really think him leaving is one of the biggest mistakes in recent sports. On both sides. He was the perfect player for Toronto with the role players they had and the country loved him. Could've been a long time thing.


DressedSpring1

He won multiple championships and wanted to be home with his family. There’s no mistake I think Kawhi got exactly what he wanted


[deleted]

No for sure. Mistake wasn't the right word. Just a missed opportunity. You're right. He got what he really wanted.


blueberryy

Probably hated the Toronto winters lol


kohlscustoms

I live here and I hate them. I can’t imagine what a guy from California who’s been playing in Texas for the last several years thought of them


AndrewTheGoat22

Me too 😭😭😭😭


Fluid-Night-1910

For the fans!!


rjcarr

So courageous to do your job two nights in a row!


shittydotamorph

Is there a more beloved single season player?


[deleted]

Minnesota Pat Bev?


JumperCableBeatings

You mean Play-In Most Value Player and Champion Pat Bev??


TomAto7171

He is one of the most beloved players out here. Hope he comes back at some point.


whowasonCRACK2

I hope so too. Hopefully very soon.


VicePope

i’ll give you a dollar


Shxcking

Any team Boban has been on for one year, if any.


shittydotamorph

Honourable mention. I couldn't even tell you which team he plays for right now though. In my head he's still on the mavs


medievalmachine

In college for sure. Carmelo won Syracuse a championship, I'm sure there are others. I think it's completely unique in the NBA though, dominant players usually don't succeed immediately after a move. Masai should get a lot of credit for that.


TelltaleHead

For college football Cam Newton is also in that conversation


messejueller21

Brewers CC Sabathia


teniaava

That one wasn't even a full season, CC made fans for life in like 2 months. Pretty much the craziest stretch I've ever seen from a pitcher.


messejueller21

Same. He completely put the team on his back (which still feels like an understatement) .Easily my favorite stretch of Brewers baseball in my lifetime.


JuliusCeejer

We'll never see something like that again, he was an absolute workhorse


piano801

As an Auburn fan yes he is


ProblyNude

war eagle! Being on campus that year i’m surprised i survived


buhmmquita

Moses Malone came to the Sixers and immediately won MVP, a championship, and Finals MVP. But he stayed four seasons, not just the one.


WeefBellington24

PJ Tucker for Bucks


fartlorain

Absolutely


GOULFYBUTT

Okay, who?


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beachsunflower

KawhiGPT


medievalmachine

He just downloaded a new module. Feels good, he says.


knnthhhh

Machine learning.


RAPTOR_NATION

AKawhi


Accomplished_Bid7987

New software update


[deleted]

Has Boston Dynamics gone too far?


LemonPepper-Lou

Should've stayed in Canada, it was a perfect fit


[deleted]

I was about to agree then I saw your flair. I’m sorry for your loss


[deleted]

Don’t be sorry, be smarter. Zaza wasn’t sorry man.. (It’s a joke) but it still hurts…


AndrewTheGoat22

Obligatory Fuck Zaza


[deleted]

Yeah I feel bad. I finally knew your pain after GP2 last year I can’t respect the lack of sportsmanship, even from Zaza


ggproductivity

Why does everyone think that Zaza is the reason that Kawhi has a degenerative quad? I have never seen a single source that ties the ankle injury from Zaza to his quad. Zaza reaggravated Kawhi's ankle issue, which took him out of a series that should have been competitive. Beyond that, I don't see how you can blame Zaza for everything that unfolded afterward, yet everyone does with this weird revisionist history shit.


blacknotblack

zaza wasnt the degenerative quad but that spurs side felt (whether warranted or not) that they could have made some noise.


ggproductivity

Right, and I agree with that. I just find it annoying when every time it gets brought up, people tie the 2 things together. This dude was joking, but other dudes are completely serious about it and that type of revisionist history shit is super annoying.


[deleted]

I think you missed the joke part..


shigs21

dude just wants to be at home


DavidWallace-Suckit

He could’ve stayed at home in LA for literally the entire 19-20 season and the team would’ve been on pace for 60 wins ready for him to come back for the playoffs. All time legacy fumble


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LemonPepper-Lou

Right, dude had a hall of fame resume at 25 years old


tboneperri

“All time legacy fumble” is a very typical Redditor way of describing a guy choosing to move back home after playing for a year in a different country for a team that he never had any interest in being on in the first place.


hamietao

And majorly contributed to bringing a chip to an entire country that's never been to the finals


tboneperri

Yeah. I always see a pretty significant portion of Raptors fans either mocking Kawhi or being downright ungrateful, and idiotic comments like the one I replied to having plenty of points (had 10 when I responded to it), presumably from other Raptors fans, because nobody else would believe such nonsense. And then whenever it’s brought up that a lot of them are ungrateful, there’s always a big blowback of “no TRUE Toronto fan, not a single one of MY friends!” Pal. I got eyes too. Seems like it’s a quarter of your fanbase rooting against the guy.


icytiger

>Yeah. I always see a pretty significant portion of Raptors fans either mocking Kawhi or being downright ungrateful, and idiotic comments like the one Caaaap. Look at any of the top rated comments in this thread. Matter fact, show me any mocking or ungrateful comment with significant upvotes.


DavidWallace-Suckit

I’m just saying he could’ve won more here, but if you wanna be a condescending jackass you go for it buddy


UsedDinosaurDrugs

Another raptors fan who thinks they would have easily won a back to back after an insanely lucky run in the first place.


[deleted]

How was it insanely lucky?


UsedDinosaurDrugs

Lmfao. The four bouncer by Kawhi against Philly, probably the luckiest shot in history. Then later playing a corpse of a warriors team in the finals, with major injuries to their best player during the series and him not playing in the beginning. Arguably the best team dynasty we have seen in 20 years was reduced to nothing. Lebron also leaving Cleveland earlier that year and making a clearer path. Normally he tortured the team in every year prior. Getting Kawhi in the first place. Kawhi not getting injured again during the season or playoffs.


Thym3Travlr

We were tied before the bounce, OT could have went either way and Lebron leaving was a significant factor in us pushing in all our chips. Kawhi not getting injured isnt insanely lucky, and getting kawhi in the first place has no relevancy on the conversation. The only lucky thing about the run was the injuries to the warriors, however that would only make a repeat easier


[deleted]

Easily win? Probably not, but they had a solid chance


UsedDinosaurDrugs

Y’all are the least grateful fans for what you have, I’ve never seen another fan base who dwells more on the “second” championship you never won more than the one you just had. For instance, Bucks fans don’t say this about the year after their win and they even frequently acknowledge it could have been lost had KD not stepped on the line, but I never see them saying anything about a back to back. Most of the fan base is never humble. See these same posts like once a week here lmfao. Edit: downvote me all you want, I don’t expect upvotes when I say this about a team that has an entire country as a fan base, there’s a lot of you. It’s true, majority are not humble or thankful for what they have.


[deleted]

Cool, I'm glad you got the chance to vent all of that out So, you don't think a team that went 53-19 the following year after their superstar player left, had a chance of going back-to-back if he had stayed?


UsedDinosaurDrugs

I’m not venting, I’m making an observation and statement over what I’ve seen in the last 2-3 years from raptors fans, and what y’all say and post. I’m fine to give my thoughts and write my opinions, I enjoy discussing sports in the first place. You can take this as a personal attack or just a disagreeable conversation. I think there’s a chance yes, but not clear or high one. Back to back championships are already statistically unlikely, Kawhi still can’t stay healthy, FVV is very inconsistent and goes very hot and cold. I cannot clearly see you winning. So it’s hard to say, plus you probably would have played Lebron and the Lakers in 2020, and history tells us he has the advantage over the raptors.


Prismoll

pg > siakam clippers shooters > raptors bricklayers lue > “double and triple team opposing star L be damned” nurse lawrence frank > ujiri last but not least: la > canada


AdPotential9974

>lawrence frank > ujiri 😂😂


jumpthroughit

Truly one of the dumbest takes I’ve ever seen on this sub of nephews.


Mr--Piccolo

raps 1 championship > clippers 0


[deleted]

Jesus. He’s already dead. Stop killing him


wouldeatyourbrains

Like stabbing him after he committed suicide.


jumpthroughit

Raptors went 53-19 the following year without him. You’re really speaking about the 2022-2023 Raptors as if they’re the 2019-2020 Raptors - an entirely different roster save for THREE players 😂 One of those Clipper “shooters” is Norm Powell who was literally on the Raptors in ‘19-‘20. God you’re dumb as fuck.


BenSimmonsFor3

Fr, our playoffs run was also just as deep as the clippers the year we lost Kawhi lol. I wish him well and love him, and respect that he wanted to go be closer to his family, but the raptors would have been the more competitive choice. We had just won a ring ffs lol


LemonPepper-Lou

1 championship >>> no championships


Top_Performance8252

Rn yea but the following season after the chip he had a chance. I actually agree with him leaving tho I’d choose Palm trees and beach any day too


AccountSave

Miss him a lot, glad to see him and Norm healthy/on their way.


FrontWarning12

Love this dude


NBAtoVancouver-Com

The North remembers, Kawhi. And what a memory it is.


SubcooledBoiling

Does he still get free meals in Toronto? I remember restaurants in the city tried to get Kawhi to stay by offering him lifetime meals lol


Haunting_Insect_3009

It was more than just restaurants - there was a wealthy real estate developer who offered Kawhi a free $5m penthouse if he re-signed.


BenSimmonsFor3

Kawhine and dine


[deleted]

At Burger King he gets all the refills he wants, free!


Dense-Discipline-982

….if he stayed. Which he obviously didn’t.


GPap-

Call me stupid but why wouldn’t they just sit him the first game of the back to back??


DressedSpring1

They did


GPap-

Ahhhh I’m stupid then. Thank you sir


capitalistsanta

I went to Toronto for the first time in my life like 3 weeks ago and I fell in so much love with that place


getbiggetlean

Thank you for saying this! I met a couple from New York visiting Toronto this summer and they were telling me how much fun they were having here and how much they loved everything here including the food. Glad you had a good time!


awwwyeahaquaman

Nurse wouldn’t. Send 3 guys at him all game and lose!!


cloudzmumgey

i can’t believe i saw nurse in a interview today deny that he wasn’t trapping kawhi all of last game


LordOfTheTennisDance

If he stayed they would have repeated. That Raptors team was stacked.


frankyseven

They were better in 2019-2020 than the year before. Add Kawhi to that roster and they are unstoppable. Of course, it ended up being the bubble playoffs so anything could have happened.


1slinkydink1

The Celtics bubble series was incredible. Gotta believe with Kawhi, they've would have at least made it to the Conference Finals if not all the way to the finals.


JevvyMedia

Plus all the extra rest he would have had before the bubble would have been an extra boost to him, just like how it boosted Anthony Davis.


--God---

Marc Gasol as I recall wasn't looking like his 2018-2019 self that season. But I'm sure with all the young developing players they could have made up for that.


frankyseven

He was still a defensive force but his offence had fallen off. That was the year he held Embiid to zero points in one game!


d36williams

I honestly thought he was indifferent. That's practically sweet


Courseheir

I'm so confident we would have repeated had he stayed.


instantsea

Every Kawhi press conference feels like a hostage video


Tearz_in_rain

As a Toronto fan, I wasn't even upset when he left. He gave everything he had, put it all out on the floor, and delivered a title. I think the biggest thing is the cultural differences in Canada and America. And this isn't a "Canada is better than America thing." They are just different. America is high in individualism, which had fostered AMAZING talent and narratives. Jordan being a prime example. But Canada is more collectivist (though we have a strong stream of individualism as well), and when Leonard needed load management, nobody made a big deal about that. Not the teammates. Not the media. Not the coaches. Not the management. There were no stories out there about "Why does Leonard get preferential treatment." But when Leonard went to LA and was treated the same way (much to the Clippers credit), there were any number of stories about how players were questioning why he didn't have to practice of got nights off. And questions about how that impacted team chemistry. ​ There just seemed to be a different cultural approach. Leonard needed accommodations for health reasons, and that was accepted in Toronto/Canada. He needed those same accommodations in LA, and suddenly it was a huge issue. But the fact that he gave the fans his all on the nights he could play during the regular season, and the fact that he gave EVERYTHING he had and over extended himself during the playoffs, that's all you can ask for.


The-Pharcyde

Kawhi not coming back at least one more year to defend the title will always be a tough pill to swallow, but the one season was truly a special one. No matter what Kawhi will always have a special place in this city.


RealLanceStorm

Dude is such a part-time player that he gets to pick and choose which back to backs to sit out lol


Optimal-Somewhere-46

Good dude Kawhi


jeRskier

Imagine if he played the tanking Pistons then sat for the team he won an FMVP for lmao


YoungCanadian

Yesterday's game was the first I've been to since becoming a fan, so I can really appreciate this choice.


DoubleDippedDouble

Man I remember my gf and I went to watch him in Toronto, and they were coming out of the training facility. His hands were so huge, and his body in general was massive. It was such a site to see.


JohnJackOil

Greatest part time player of all time


nujjy97

He didn’t play against us yesterday tho lol


therohan

That’s what the question is referencing, he has the choice between the two games and chose Toronto.


InTheMorning_Nightss

"What about Detroit fans?" "Fuck em"


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InTheMorning_Nightss

“Fuck all 12 of them.”


ESCALATING_ESCALATES

Yeah, fuck all 12 of us.


notafeetlongcucumber

Kawhi on opting to not play in Detroit on the first night of a back-to-back: “It’s always bad memories coming into this arena… I would rather not give the fans in Detroit a chance to see me play again.”


StolenLampy

This is how I heard it lol


Mobile_Appointment8

Cant have shit in detroit


Outland3r_

Ya he doesn't care about Detroit fans because he never played for yall


skrtskerskrt

He's a part time player


xpillindaass

https://twitter.com/jusafan3/status/1607954542133678081?s=21&t=izx2R2gAQrvbG1W-ByXrVg


1999hondaodyssey

You guys went 3-0 against us in the Kawhi year. I’m sure he doesn’t want to remember that.


Pipper94

Fans > load management


Nat_Feckbeard

tbf he did load manage - he opted to play the 2nd game of a b2b instead of the 1st.


[deleted]

I'm a fan and I'd rather have him miss a few games now if that increases the chances that he can be healthier later in the season. Some of ya'll act like load management is being done by healthy players instead of these guys who have long injury histories. If these injury prone players were forced to play every game, they would just get injured again and end up playing even fewer games in total.


Pipper94

I wasn’t even trying to be smart about load management. I just thought it was pretty cool he’s happy to take the risk for a city that gave him so much


[deleted]

Oh, I misunderstood what you were trying to say. My bad. He missed the first game of the b2b so he could play in this game, so he didn't actually take a risk for them.


Pipper94

I think I’ve misunderstood a bit too then. Probably why I got downvoted. Definitely understand load management and wanting to be fit come playoffs. Especially in Kawhi’s position


[deleted]

Sorry again for my comment earlier.


Pipper94

No need


Woofarooni

That’s what I assumed when I read the title as well. It was phrased in a way that made it seem like he played in both games


bielboobs

It is healthy players sitting out guys aren't actually injured when they skip back to backs.


[deleted]

>aren't actually injured What does this even mean.


Tel3visi0n

Well he keeps getting injured so it’s not like the load management is working


Cody-Fakename

Good guy Kawai. Miss this dude.


Alive-Ad-4164

What could of been


THlSGUYSAYS

Could’ve


ForgotPWAgainSigh

Should've


solarscopez

should of*


dank-kush

Should have*


WaffleAndButter

Hi mom


jusBULLSHITTINaround

This guy plays the 2nd night of a back-to-back and it makes news? What?


aginglifter

So dumb that he left.


SpiderGhost01

Just more load management spin.


im_absouletly_wrong

So nba players are literally just picking and choosing which games they want to play in the league is screwed


resident_hater

Thanks for showing everyone that load management is total bullshit.


DogeGod_Ricky-C

Should give everyone the chance to see you play.. load management is ruining the regular season


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DogeGod_Ricky-C

Kawhi has barely played basketball in 2 years.. I don’t get it


[deleted]

He looks like a POW reading anti-war propaganda


Gristle__McThornbody

What about the Pistons fans that showed up to see you play?


X-Filer

Can’t have shit in Detroit (stole this from another comment)


Ok-Tree4365

WTF does he owe to Pistons fans?


jumpthroughit

Why would you buy tickets to a Clippers game in the first place if your goal is to see Kawhi? He’s going to end this season at 40-45 games played at best. You’re buying something that is a complete coin flip. Just don’t, unless it’s announced the day of that he’s playing. Buy that day, not like Detroit sells out anyways, there will always be tickets.


JoeyJoeJoeShabadooSr

Why is this downvoted? I'd be so irritated by that