The Golden State Warriors cruised to a 116-94 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. The Dubs made it look easy despite missing the services of All-Star forward Kevin Durant.

Durant hasn't played for the Warriors since suffering a calf injury in their Game 5 win over the Houston Rockets in the second round. FOX Sports' Skip Bayless believes KD's absence is the best thing that could have happened to Golden State in these playoffs:

“The best player on the planet (Kevin Durant) is hurt right now, and it was the best thing that could've ever happened to this Golden State team. … When he went out, this teamed flipped the 73-9 switch.”

Without Durant, the Warriors' offense looks more fluid. They move the ball a little bit better, and everyone who's on the floor seems to be significantly involved. Of course, the Dubs very much prefer KD to return and play as soon as possible, but they seem to be just fine without him.

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The reigning Finals MVP is still out for Game 2, and possibly a little bit longer, but with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson leading the way, Golden State is still capable of taking out Portland to reach the NBA Finals again.

If the Blazers want to even things up, they will need to get more production from the tandem of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. They cannot allow themselves to be outscored by Steph and Klay, because if they cannot beat the Warriors without Durant, they most certainly won't have a chance of winning the series with him on the floor.