Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols. During their conversation, Green explain how he and his teammates have managed to persevere without the services of Kevin Durant, who has been sidelined with a calf strain since Game 5 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

“Of all the players who had to trim back their game when Kevin Durant came to this team, it's pretty obvious, just from watching you this past week or two, you've sacrificed for the good of the whole,” Nichols said to Green during their conversation. “What does it feel like to finally get a chance to let your whole game out for at least a round or so?”

“It feels great,” Green replied. “It's great to show my whole game and show what I'm capable of, but I wouldn't change the sacrifices that I've made and will continue to make for nothing, because we've reached a goal. That's what's most important.

“Having Kevin on this team has been great for us,” Green added. “When Kevin is with us, I walk into the arena and I know how the game is going to go, I know we're going to win. When he's not (with us), I'm still extremely confident that we're going to win, but you've got to figure a little more out in order to win.”

According to most reports, it is unlikely that Durant will be cleared to participate in the Finals opener against the Raptors. And in fact, he may not be ready for Game 2 either. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr provided an update with regards to Durant's status on Wednesday:

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“He was on the court today taking some shots, just basically on his own, nothing with the team,” Kerr told NBC Sports. “And he's been ramping up his rehab. He's coming along really well, but he's sort of in a race against the clock. We've already announced he won't play tomorrow and considering Game 2 is Sunday and he hasn't practiced with the team — it's pretty doubtful that he'll play Game 2.”

The Warriors and Raptors will meet for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. Tip-off inside Scotiabank Arena is set for 9:00 p.m. ET, with ABC having live broadcast coverage. Hopefully, Durant will be back in action sooner rather than later.