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The Golden State Warriors fell to the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, so, as a result, Kevin Durant's impending return from a calf injury seems all the more vital.
However, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says that the circumstances of the series won't have an impact on when Durant comes back, according to Blake Murphy of The Athletic.
Kerr states that Durant will not play until he is ready because the risk of re-injury and knocking him out for the series for good is just too high.
Durant originally suffered a calf strain during the second half of Game 5 of the Warriors' second-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets and has not played since.
Golden State did not need Durant to hold on in Game 5 and then finish off the Rockets in Game 6 of that series, and it also did not need him during its four-game sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals.
However, the finals seems like a different animal, as the Raptors are playing outstanding basketball at the moment, and even 34 points from Stephen Curry and 21 from Klay Thompson was not enough for the Dubs to top Toronto in Game 1.
The Warriors got very limited production from elsewhere, as Draymond Green was the only other Warriors player in double figures with 10 points. Kevon Looney was the club's fourth-leading scorer with nine.
If Golden State wants to rebound in this series, it is going to need more production from its role players, or it is going to need Durant to return fairly soon.
Game 2 is on Sunday night.
