Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is looking forward to seeing Kawhi Leonard on Wednesday, but is also excited about competing against him.
Leonard will get his championship ring from last season from the Raptors. Once the game starts, though, Nurse and Leonard will be enemies:
Nurse: "I'm gonna be connected to Kawhi for life because of what we achieved last year… So we'll give him his ring, we'll shake his hand, maybe even give him a big hug when we see him, and then when the ball goes up we've gotta do everything we can to try to beat him."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) December 11, 2019
Leonard guided the Raptors to their first-ever championship last season and won his second Finals MVP in the process. The forward left Toronto after one season to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, who acquired Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder as well.
Leonard averaged 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists during the regular season for the Raptors. As all superstars do, Leonard took his game to another level in the playoffs. He put up 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in the postseason. Toronto defeated the Golden State Warriors in six games in the NBA Finals.
Kawhi is going to get a rousing standing ovation from the Raptors crowd. He was a professional the entire season and gave the Raptors and their fans something they have been missing — a championship.
Toronto is 16-7 on the season. They have played well despite the loss of Leonard, with Pascal Siakam playing like an All-Star. He’s putting up 24.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the Raptors while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc.
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