Kevin Durant return appears Golden State Warriors' only hope against Toronto Raptors in NBA Finals
Tuesday 11 June 2019 04:10, UK
Kevin Durant returning from injury looks to be the Golden State Warriors' only hope of turning around their 3-1 NBA Finals deficit to the Toronto Raptors.
When Game 4 was over, and Toronto fans were waving Canadian flags in celebration inside an otherwise-stunned Oracle Arena, a glum-faced Durant was outside the Golden State locker room to greet his equally glum team-mates as they sauntered off the floor.
That has been his only visible role on game nights in the NBA Finals.
If that does not change on Monday, then this series is probably going to end.
That would end Golden State's reign as NBA champions and then it is possible that Durant, a free-agent-in-waiting, has played for the Warriors for the last time.
Durant limped off the floor at Oracle Arena a month ago in Game 5 of the second round with what the team called a mild calf strain. It is apparently the most severe "mild" calf strain in the history of injuries, because he has not played since and there is no way of knowing if that is going to change on Monday.
Live NBA: Golden State @ Toronto
The Warriors clearly need him if they are going to pull off a comeback against the Raptors in these NBA Finals.
"Nobody's going to feel sorry for us at all," Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. "It's just a matter of can we get it done or not, and we're going to leave it all out there, starting on Monday."
That will be the case, with Durant or not.
The reality is that any Durant is better than no Durant for the Warriors right now. His mere presence might throw the Raptors off just enough to create more chances for the rest of the Warriors. It is really the only card the Warriors have left to play at this point.
Toronto took full control of the series on Friday night, winning 105-92 for a 3-1 finals lead. Durant was not on the bench for Game 4, and has not been since getting hurt, although he was on the plane on Saturday heading to Ontario, and his uniform was packed inside the Warriors' equipment bags.
If it goes unworn again, the Warriors are in big trouble.
"There's been hope that he will come back the whole series," Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "So that's not going to change now. Obviously we hope to have him, but we'll see what happens. We don't make that final call ... he doesn't really even make that final call. His body will tell him if he can get out there or not. And if he can, great. And if not, you still got to try to find a way."
They have been trying, with limited success, even with Durant.
The Raptors are 5-1 against the Warriors this season, going 2-0 in the regular season when Durant scored 51 in one game and 30 in another. The Warriors just looked tired on Friday night, weary against a Toronto team that has had every answer in this series. They have not been able to muster the offense they need against Toronto.
With Durant, that story could be different.
But even if he plays on Monday, after not playing for a month, how good could he be anyway? Even someone as talented as Durant, who is in the conversation of "best player in the world" right now, cannot fake rhythm. Throwing him into an elimination game in the NBA Finals, after not playing for a month, is an unbelievably daunting ask.
It might be what is required.
"We're hoping he can play Game 5 or 6," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "And everything in between I've decided I'm not sharing because it's just gone haywire. There's so much going on, and so it doesn't make sense to continue to talk about it. He's either going to play or he's not."
The Warriors will practise on Sunday. With so much at stake, unless his calf muscle just will not allow it, Durant will probably try to do something. It is hard to believe he does not want to play, and the fact he has not been seen yet in this series just reiterates how not mild this "mild" strain is.
A shot at a third straight ring is slipping away. Maybe it was gone the second Durant got hurt. When the Warriors swept Portland in the Western Conference finals, there was silly talk about how the team might be better without Durant.
That talk is non-existent now.
Any team is better - a lot better - with Durant. And if he finds a way back to the court, the Warriors might just get a lot better in a hurry.
Or else, this era could end on Monday night.
"We've got to win one game," Green said. "We win one, then we'll build on that."
Without Durant, winning that one game on Monday might be too tough an ask even for the Warriors.
Game 5 takes place in Toronto in the early hours of Tuesday morning (2am) live on Sky Sports Arena
