The Golden State Warriors suffered a crushing blow with forward Kevin Durant suffering an Achilles injury in Game 5. Unfortunately, it appears to be just the latest example in a saga of underlying issues between both sides.
There had been plenty of speculation regarding when Durant would be able to make his return after he had spent a month nursing a calf strain. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, his camp is not totally happy with how Golden State went about updating his status:
There was a little resentment with how the Warriors handled the updates on Durant’s condition throughout his rehab process, sources said.
By not ruling Durant out indefinitely, it exposed him to being a storyline after each game and it began with the conference finals. His status became a day-by-day talking point.
The Warriors and Durant probably wish they could have handled matters differently, but regardless, Durant still seems to be engaged and supporting his teammates as evidenced by his Instagram Story.
There is no question that Durant's injury became one of the biggest storylines surrounding the NBA Finals. Since the Warriors had not indicated the exact severity of his injury during the reports, many felt the 10-time All-Star was simply taking an extra-cautious approach with his health. This resulted in him catching some flak for not making his return while Golden State continued to struggle.
It was not long before Toronto took a commanding 3-1 series lead and essentially “forced” Durant to make his comeback in Game 5. Unfortunately, his return was short-lived as he suffered the Achilles injury during the second quarter following a hot start to the game. Although his previous injury may have put him under a negative light, many have now sympathized with Durant and his situation.
The Warriors undoubtedly have some work to do in the damage control department with Durant moving forward. Regardless, their primary concern is keeping their championship hopes alive on Thursday.
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