Kevin Durant’s return to the Warriors in the NBA Finals didn’t last long. Either way, Golden State found a way to win.
Durant hurt his right Achilles tendon, a serious blow to the star forward, who is three weeks away from declaring a free agent and now could require a long recovery period.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers had tears in his eyes when he announced the news after Game 5 of the NBA Finals. An MRI will be done Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury, but Durant’s campaign is clearly over.
If the tendon is ruptured, what awaits you is a period of rehabilitation that will last for months.
“He’s one of the most misunderstood people,” Myers said. “He is a good partner, a good person. This is not fair. I am lucky to meet you. I won’t have the information on what the magnitude really is or what this means, until we have the resonance. But the people who have worked with him and who gave him permission to play are good people ”.
Myers explained that the injury that had sidelined Durant from the Warriors’ previous nine games in the playoffs was a sore calf muscle, as the team had consistently reported.
However, the manager said he was willing to accept responsibility for the decision to send Durant to the court for Game 5.
Golden State won 106-105 to reduce Toronto’s lead in the Final to 3-2.
“I don’t think there’s anyone to blame, but I understand that in this world, if anyone is to blame, it must be me,” Myers said. “I am in charge of the sports operations of this team, and the people who questioned whether he wanted to return to this team were wrong.”
Durant was injured on a dribble down the right side. Unable to support his leg, he collapsed. Then he put a hand to a point between his calf and his Achilles tendon, and had to get help getting to the bench and back to the Warriors locker room.
Golden State forward Andre Iguodala stayed to Durant’s left on the way to the clubhouse. Also in the group were Myers and point guard Stephen Curry.
It was visible that Durant uttered a foul word as he left the court, in a gesture of frustration.
Facing possible elimination, the Warriors decided Durant was healthy enough to play. Warriors coach Steve Kerr made the announcement about 90 minutes before kickoff, saying Durant would be in the starting lineup.
“He responded well and he’s going to play,” Kerr said.
The Warriors were down 3-1 to the challenge against Toronto in the title series, meaning their hopes for a third consecutive NBA championship were on the brink. Durant had not played since he strained his calf muscle in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against Houston.
Durant spent about 25 minutes on the court before leaving the end of the Warriors shooting session to continue treatment. Apparently there was no backtracking.
“Now he can play,” Kerr noted. “He has the authorization, so he’s going to play.”
Durant received permission to resume training fully from the Warriors’ medical staff after Game 4 of the NBA Finals and trained with the team Sunday for the first time since his injury. He averaged 26.0 points per game for the Warriors during the regular season and 34.2 points in 11 playoff games before hurting himself.
“You worry about conditioning,” Kerr said. “The skill, obviously, is indisputable and he is a guy who can count on his shot anytime he wants. He has been in similar situations with us where he has had long breaks. It’s Kevin Durant. If we have him on the court, he will be a threat. We know that ”.
Durant was the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals when Golden State captured the titles in 2017 and 2018. The Warriors are 6-3 in playoff games that Durant has not been in.