On the precipice: Durant may be key to comeback
TORONTO — A couple hundred reporters, iPhones in hand, filtered into Scotiabank Arena’s lower bowl Sunday afternoon for video of Warriors forward Kevin Durant practicing for the first time in more than a month.
After roughly a half-hour, the NBA closed the workout to media. Just as those Instagrammers and tweeters were leaving, Durant, blue Warriors hoodie pulled tight over his head, sauntered to the court.
The latest phase in Durant’s recovery from a strained right calf would unfold in private, which came as no surprise: An air of mystery
has been the lone constant since Durant got injured in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on May 8. What is clear is that, after almost five weeks of rampant speculation, Durant finally is nearing his return.
The league lists Durant as questionable for Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. In addition to participating in a light practice Sunday, he got in extra work with some of the Warriors’ younger players. With an ice bag wrapped around his right calf, Durant walked to the team bus around 4 p.m., laughing with assistant coach Mike Brown.
The Warriors have not needed Durant more than they do Monday. As Durant watched on a TV in the team locker room, Golden State dug a 3-1 series hole against the Raptors to face the possible end of its dynasty. There is no tactical tweak that will get the Warriors the three straight wins they require.
To overcome Toronto’s mix of shooting, depth, speed and defense, they depend on the return of a player who has bailed them out of numerous tricky situations the past three years. Durant could rejuvenate a weary roster, provide head coach Steve Kerr a oneon-one scoring threat to deal with the Raptors’ switch-happy scheme, and offer a versatile option against Kawhi Leonard or Pascal Siakam.
Even if Durant isn’t near 100 percent, he’d ease Stephen Curry’s burden and allow Kerr to shorten his rotation. Backup forwards Alfonzo McKinnie and Jonas Jerebko could be limited to situational cameos. The Warriors also wouldn’t need to rely so heavily on center DeMarcus Cousins, who has been a liability on both ends of the court the past two games.
“It’s just having another powerful weapon out there that can do some very dynamic things on the floor,” Curry said of Durant, who was averaging 34.2 points — on pace for the second-highest postseason clip in 25 years (LeBron James averaged 35.3 in 2009) — on 51.3% shooting (41.6% from 3-point range) before he got injured. “We’ll be able to adjust in transition pretty smoothly. He’s been in plenty of Finals and has played well. No matter what percentage he’s at, I’m sure he’ll be impactful and effective out there.”
Durant’s return would be a good sight for a team that has spent recent days struggling to answer questions about his status. After the Warriors ruled out Durant for Game 4 on Friday, head coach Steve Kerr announced that he’d be more tight-lipped about injury updates to avoid mixed signals. Even he wasn’t sure when to expect Durant back.
Durant’s calf strain initially was deemed “mild” by team trainers. But as weeks passed with little progress in his recovery, he became the target of numerous online conspiracy theories. Was Durant sitting out of fear of hurting his market value in free agency? Did he even want to return? Were Durant and the Warriors
“No matter what percentage he’s at, I’m sure he’ll be impactful.”
Stephen Curry, Warriors guard, on Kevin Durant
disputing the severity of his injury?
Before Game 4, he posted a cryptic message to his Instagram account: “False information doesn’t become true just because it’s repeated.” This might as well have been his season-long mantra. Over the past eight months, Durant has shot down reports about his pending free agency, questioning those who speculate about his motives.
Meanwhile, his teammates were puzzled. All they could do was keep the focus on winning at least one more championship with Durant. As Curry put it last month, “We’re one group until we’re not.” That arrangement could end as soon as Monday.
After the Warriors’ Game 4 loss, forward Draymond Green told teammates to believe in themselves and understand that they still have a “great chance” to win. That impassioned speech was straight out of cinema. But for the Warriors to have a Hollywood ending, they’ll need more than confidence.
Golden State’s season has come down to a single question: Will Durant be cleared? The only person who can answer it is director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini, who has been overseeing Durant’s rehab.
“I think it’s pretty easy to realize we obviously miss (Durant) out there, and he’s propelled us to two championships in the last two years,” guard Klay Thompson said. “It would be pretty storybook if he could come back and help us do the same.”