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The Golden State Warriors headed into the 2019 NBA Finals as the favorite to defeat the Toronto Raptors even without Kevin Durant. But after the Raptors took the series opener behind a magnificent performance from Pascal Siakam and another excellent showing from Marc Gasol, the question of whether or not the Warriors can really beat the Raptors without KD has become more prominent.
Golden State seemed helpless to find reliable scoring options outside of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala's calf is still giving him plenty of trouble. The feeling is that Durant might be the only guaranteed solution at this juncture.
However, Durant still needs to be cleared for practice before he can play. And according to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, his status has not changed ahead of Game 2 tonight in Toronto:
As far as KD watch goes — Kerr says he still hasn’t been cleared for practice.
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) June 2, 2019
Despite not being cleared, Kerr iterated that Durant might only need one practice before being given the green light for game action:
Kerr, on possibility KD could have just one practice, then play in a game. "It's feasible. But again, it's really a day to day thing. If we had a crystal ball we would have known a long time ago what we were dealing with. It's just an injury — there's been a lot of gray area."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) June 2, 2019
While the Warriors' rotation continues to look more and more thin without Durant and a hobbled Iguodala, Fred VanVleet has established himself as a legitimate scoring option for the Raptors off the bench, and Serge Ibaka remains as an imposing rim protector.
In reality, Durant has no timetable for return. If Golden State can steal the home court in Game 2, they may be more reluctant to bring him back without added practice time. However, should the Raptors take a 2-0 series lead, desperation might just force Durant back into the rotation for what would amount to a must-win Game 3 in Oakland.
