J-Speaks: Spurs Win An Emotional Game Against A Former Teammate

The dynamic defense, prolific scoring runs and unrelenting cheering fans of the San Antonio Spurs are three main reasons why they have had dominated on their home court of AT&T Center for a decade-plus. For seven years the Spurs had a star player who was a huge part of that. Unfortunately, that star player and the Spurs relationship eroded last season and he was dealt north of the border for a player that did not want to be traded. In the first meeting between the two teams since the late July blockbuster deal, the perennial All-Star that the Spurs acquired made a stellar statement as his squad did to the former Spurs Finals MVP that he has seen done to the opposition and star player many times. 

Four-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan registered his first career triple-double with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists as the Spurs (22-17) routed the Toronto Raptors (28-12) 125-107 on Thursday night on TNT as two-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard made his return to the place he called his NBA home for seven seasons and helped the Spurs to their fifth championships in 2014. 

While Leonard had a good game with 21 points and five assists on 8 for 13 shooting, the Spurs played with an intensity and focus that just overwhelmed the Raptors and they never took their foot off the gas. 

The Spurs rushed out to a 38-19 lead after the first quarter and never looked back as they led by as many as 28 points. 

The Spurs shot 55.3 percent from the floor on the night, the highest field goal percentage the Raptors surrendered to an opponent so far this season as the Spurs won for the 11 time in their last 14 games. The five-time NBA champions also went 13 for 27 from three-point range (48.1 percent); had 32 assists on 47 made field goals and out-rebounded their visitors 44-39. 

For DeRozan, he authored the first triple-double of his career against the team that drafted him No. 9 overall in 2009 and helped to turn them from a cellar dweller in the Eastern Conference into a contender that could not get passed four-time Kia MVP LeBron James and his now former team the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

When DeRozan along with reserve center Jakob Poeltl, and a 2019 protected First-Round pick were dealt to the Spurs on July 28, 2018 for Leonard and sharp shooter Danny Green, who did not score and missed all six of his field goal attempts on Thursday night. 

DeRozan was at first upset about being traded because he was assured early this past summer that he was not going to be traded, especially after signing a five-year, $139 million deal on July 14, 2016. 

The Raptors all-time scoring leader with 13,296 points said to the NBA on TNT crew of commentators Marv Albert and Chris Webber, and sideline reporter Kristen Ledlow that he would not be traded, and if he felt that he had known the Raptors were going to trade him he would have kept his options open. 

The trade really upset his backcourt mate and best friend Kyle Lowry, who he had built a very tight bond with. 

Along with that, DeRozan did something very important, he made a name for himself with a team that many did want to take on. When free agency came up for him two summers back, he decided to not explore his options like returning home to Los Angeles, CA, and sign with the Lakers. Instead he wanted to remain in Toronto and continue his legacy here. Something that former Raptor greats in current Atlanta Hawk Vince Carter and future Hall of Famer and two-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat Chris Bosh did not want to do. The first chance they had to get out of dodge they did.  

“No one wanted to be a Raptor through free agency and he felt like he took the mantle on, and let players know that this is a great place to play,” Webber said during the Thursday telecast about why DeRozan stayed with the Raptors. “We have great people. It’s a great system…and he feels hurt that he’s no longer the ambassador for the Toronto Raptors.” 

DeRozan, who had his first career triple-double in his 714^th career game has warmed to being with the Spurs and he has played really well for them and is a big reason they have shaken off a slow start and is right in the thick of the Western Conference Standings at the No. 6 spot now. 

In speaking with Ledlow after the win, the Spurs 10^th straight against the Raptors at AT&T Center DeRozan wanted to “just go out there and have fun.” 

He added, “I didn’t want to put too much pressure on me. Just go out there and have fun. My teammates embraced me to go out there and have fun, and it was a great game.” 

In the lead up to the tilt between the Raptors and Spurs, the question was how would Leonard be received by the Spurs fans at AT&T Center? 

Last season, the two-time All-Star, and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, who was the 2014 Finals MVP in the Spurs five-game victory in The Finals over the Miami Heat played in all but nine games a season ago with a quad injury. 

When Leonard sought a second opinion, even after the Spurs doctors cleared him to play his decision to not play it began a friction between his teammates, the front office and head coach Gregg Popovich that eventually ended up in him being dealt to the Raptors. 

While there were definitely hard feelings between the two sides both Coach Popovich and Leonard took the positive approach in the lead up to the contest. 

“You move on in life,” Popovich said to reporters on Wednesday. “We’re not going to redo what’s happened in the past anyway, shape or form. It’s of no consequence at this point, and it does no good to go backward and talk about this, that or the other.” 

Leonard after scoring a career-high 45 points on 16 for 22 shooting and 13 for 17 from the free throw line in the Raptors 122-116 win versus the Jazz on New Year’s Day said after the win about going to face that acquired his draft rights when the Indiana Pacers took him No. 15 overall in June 2011, “Everybody is anticipating the game. Things like that will only get me better for the long run. It’s going to be a good game.” 

That question was the headliner in Thursday’s San Antonio Express-News which said on the front page, “It’s Up to You Whether to Boo,” about how to greet Leonard. 

When the Raptors took the AT&T Center court for warmups before tip-off, Leonard was booed by the 18,581 fans in attendance. 

Before the introductions of the starting lineups for both teams, the Spurs played a tribute video thanking both Green and Leonard for the memories and their contributions both on and off the court for the Spurs, which ended with “Thank You Danny and Kawhi.” 

“Let me tell you something, the Spurs proved again there the best organization in the NBA to do a nice tribute for those guys,” NBA on TNT studio analyst said of the Spurs gesture for Green and Leonard. 

When the Raptors starting five was introduced by the Spurs Public Address Announcer Green received a thunderous applause and cheers from the crowd as they chanted, “Danny, Danny, Danny, Danny!” Leonard received the opposite greeting as he was booed vigorously, and those booing continued throughout the whole game every time he touched the basketball, especially at the offensive end. Something that Coach Popovich hoped the fans would not do. He wanted them to greet him with “civility, kindness, respect.” 

There was one point in the game that two-time All-NBA First-Team selection and 2015 league steals leader took a step back at the foul line to regain his composure amid the chants from the audience of, “Traitor! Traitor!”  and “Quitter! Quitter!”

“Probably but I embraced it and enjoyed the moment, and it’s only going to get even better,” Leonard, who recorded his 15^th straight game of scoring at least 20 points, the best run of his career said to reporters after the game about being booed. He added, “Media does a great to stir people’s minds and to influence them to think a certain way. So, I already knew how that was going to be the way the media was.”

Before tip-off Green went over and shared a huge with Coach Popovich. When the game was decided Leonard and “Pop” also shared an embrace. 

“I felt badly about it,” Popovich said about how Leonard was consistently booed during the game. “Kawhi’s a high-character guy. We all make decisions in our lives. What we’re going to do with our futures and he has that same right as anyone else. So, I felt badly, honestly.” 

The reality of this situation is that this is one of the very rare trades in NBA history that has worked out for both teams. The Spurs acquired a dynamic All-Star player who became the first Spur to author a triple-double at home since future Hall of Famer and five-time champion with the Spurs Tim Duncan did it in 2003 has fit in very well and has helped the continued their path to making the playoffs for a 22^nd season in succession which would tie the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1949-71. 

The Raptors, who are without to very important cogs in All-Star lead guard Kyle Lowry and center Jonas Valanciunas due to injury are the No. 2 Seed in the East, just a half game behind the No. 1 Seeded Milwaukee Bucks (27-10). 

The Spurs for sure did not want to trade Kawhi Leonard, an All-Star player who was emerging as a Top5 player in the NBA if he was not there already. Unfortunately, the miscommunication and misunderstanding about his health following an injury is how the relationship was fractured and was eventually beyond repair.  

If the atmosphere was like this for the first meeting between the Raptors and the Spurs, it will be something to see when these two teams meet at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Feb. 22 on ESPN. 

It will be interesting to see how DeRozan is greeted on his return that night. We shall see.

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 1/3/19 8 p.m. TNT “NBA Tip-Off,” presented by Autotrader with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley Shaquille O’Neal; 1/3/19 8 p.m. “Toronto Raptors versus San Antonio Spurs” on TNT, presented by State Farm with Marv Albert, Chris Webber, and Kristen Ledlow; 1/4/19 1 a.m. edition of TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” presented by Kia with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal; www.nba.com/games/20190103/TORSAA#/recap/boxscore/matchup; www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/6450/kawhi-leonard; www.espn.com/nba/standings; www.espn.com/nba/game?gameid=401071239; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeMar_DeRozan#2016-17_season.