As time passes, the meetings between the Raptors and Spurs will come to hold less and less meaning. No one really gets up for San Antonio vs. Miami showdowns, but there once was a time...
I digress. Since the Kawhi trade in the summer of 2018, the Raptors and Spurs have become linked in the recent league history. It’ll pass, but for now it definitely is what it is. What’s more, there remain emotional links today — between stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, former rookies Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl, even in how the Raptors now wish to carry themselves as compared to how the Spurs have always been perceived.