It's not impossible for the trailing team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors, of course, understand that reality better than anyone with the exception of LeBron James and the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. For the two-time defending champions to flip the script and climb out of their hole against the Toronto Raptors, though, most believe Kevin Durant needs to return to the floor.
Unfortunately, as Draymond Green told reporters after Game 4, there's still no telling whether the two-time reigning Finals MVP will be available for Game 5.
“There's been hope he'd come back the whole series. That's not going to change now,” he said of Durant, per The Athletic's Anthony Slater. “We hope to have him. We don't make that final call. He don't really make that final call. His body will tell him.”
Durant has been sidelined since suffering a calf strain in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Warriors didn't need him to sweep the Portland Trail Blazers to advance to their fifth NBA Finals, but it was common knowledge that the Raptors posed a far bigger threat to Golden State's supremacy. Durant was ruled out of the first two games of the Finals before the series began, and seemed on track to play in Game 4 before the Warriors announced on Thursday that he would remain sidelined.
Toronto beat Golden State 105-92 on Friday night, taking a 3-1 lead in the series. Game 5 is on Sunday at Scotiabank Arena, when the Warriors, with or without Durant, will try to force this series back to Oracle Arena and prevent the Raptors from winning their first championship in franchise history.
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