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Golden State Warriors forward Durant is still currently recovering from a strained right calf and could potentially miss their entire Finals series against the Toronto Raptors. Even without Durant, the two-time defending champs are still heavy favorites to come out victorious.
Many think that Durant's legacy could take a massive hit should the Warriors win their third consecutive title without him. However, ESPN analyst and former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy doesn't buy that narrative at all.
“We’re in a time and place where we’re just absolutely dying to pick people apart to negate their greatness, Durant’s great. He wasn’t part of the group that lost to the Cavs. He’s the one who beat them twice. I’m not sure why we’re trying to, as a basketball community, nitpick instead of just saying he’s an all-time great.” Van Gundy said in an ESPN/ABC conference call, per Marc Berman of The New York Post.
Last week, Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard suggested that Durant's two titles with the Warriors would diminish in value if the they do go on to win the NBA championship this year without him.
Van Gundy, on the other hand, doesn't believe that tarnishes the two-time Finals MVP's greatness in any way at all.
The Warriors have been playing tremendous basketball since Durant went down with his injury in Game 5 of their Houston Rockets series. They have been undefeated since, taking care of the Rockets in six games, and sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals.
With the absence of their playoff leading scorer, Golden State has turned back the clock to circa 2015, with the nucleus of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green leading the charge.
Durant did travel with the team to Toronto, but is still highly questionable for Game 1.
