And just like that, the Raptors’ title defense is over before it even got started. In the absence of Kawhi Leonard, now departing to the Los Angeles Clippers, there’s little chance Toronto can go all the way again. We saw what it took for the team to get there, to win it all; and we know what part Leonard had to play in that journey. Past all the immense joy the Raptors’ championship has brought to the team and the city, it’s hard not to be just a tiny bit annoyed by this turn of events, if only because all the cynics were right.
Kawhi Leonard is a Toronto Raptor forever
