Are the Golden State Warriors no longer expecting Kevin Durant's return in the NBA Finals? With the team down three games to one in the championship series against the Toronto Raptors, their optimism about his potential return has turned into frustrations.
.@WindhorstESPN: “Durant just isn’t ready. His body isn’t ready. The trainers don’t believe it, he doesn’t believe it…”
He says there’s frustration around the Warriors about the situation pic.twitter.com/NxfbbP8Dk2
— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) June 8, 2019
Durant hasn't played since the second round of the playoffs, and there are already conflicting reports about his injury. While the Warriors are saying that it's a calf strain, there are speculations that the reigning Finals MVP has suffered an Achilles tear.
The Warriors are now facing elimination in the Finals for the first time since Durant joined the team; an unfamiliar territory for the two-time defending champions. Of course, no one is counting them out just yet. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are still capable of rallying this team in this series, but their presence alone is not a guarantee that they will completely turn things around, especially since the Raptors just need to win one more game.
There have been countless debates on whether or not the Warriors are better off without Durant. At first, it looked like they were still a great team without him, especially when they swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals.
However, as good as they are on offense, they have struggled mightily against the Raptors' defense in the finals. If it wasn't for a clutch 3-pointer by Andre Iguodala in Game 2 of the series, there's a huge possibility that the Warriors might have been swept. At the moment, they look vulnerable, and it seems that the only way for them to bounce back is if Durant re-joins the team.
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