Durant, out sa Game 1 ng NBA Finals

OAKLAND, California (AP) — Hindi pa handa ang katawan ni Kevin Durant para maglaro sa Game 1 ng NBA Finals sa May 30 (May 31 sa Manila).

Hindi pa nagbabalik ang two-time reigning finals MVP sa on-court work habang nagpapagaling sa natamong strained right calf. Kung sakali, si center DeMarcus Cousins ang posibleng makasama sa laban ng Golden State kontra sa magwawagi sa Milwaukee at Toronto.

“Potentially,” sambit ni coach Steve Kerr nitong Huwebes (Biyernes sa Manila). “But it’s up in the air.”

Nagsagawa ng re-evaluation sa kalagayan ng dalawang players at ayon sa medical team ng koponan kapwa asahan na makababalik ang dalawa sa laro sa kampanya ng Golden States para sa ‘three-peat’ at ikaapat sa limang sunod na NBA Finals.

“We’ve known all along, it’s how he responds. There’s never been a point during this process where we’ve been able to say, ‘he’s going to play on such and such date,’ and there still isn’t, so we just keep going, keep moving forward,” sambit ni Kerr. “... But again, he hasn’t spent any time on the court with us, hasn’t gone through an individual shooting workout.”

Nakabalik naman sa ensayo si Cousins sa unang pagkakataon mula nang ma-injured sa Game 2 ng second round playoff nitong Abril 16.

“We’ll see where my body takes me and we’ll see what happens,” sambit ni Cousins. “I feel good, a lot better than I was, I’m in a better place. I’m able to get up and down the court more. I’m able to play a little competition basketball.”

Inaasahan namang makababalik si Andre Iguodala, sa kabila ng hindi pagdalo sa ensayo, mula sa pamamaga ng kaliwang binti.

“It’s been a wild year for me all season,” pahayag ni Cousins. “I’m happy to be in this moment. If I get the opportunity to play I’m going to take full advantage of it, leave it all on the floor.”