Game 5: Team survives Durant injury, ensuring return to Oracle
TORONTO — As he fought back tears, Warriors general manager Bob Myers glanced at the paper in front of him, tried to speak and, when no words came out, adjusted the microphone before taking a deep breath.
“Uh,” Myers said, his voice trembling. “Kevin had an — it’s an Achilles injury.”
Those final four words explained the blank faces and misty eyes in Golden State’s locker room. Long after Kevin Durant hobbled out of Scotiabank Arena on crutches Monday night, the Warriors erased a late six-point deficit, escaping with a 106-105 win over Toronto in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to keep alive their bid for a three-peat. The moment called for a celebration, muted by news of Durant’s injury.
After more than a month sidelined by a strained right calf, Durant — desperate to save his team from elimination — had persevered through the pain to return, only to suffer a worse setback early in the second quarter. This is an injury known to derail careers.
The Warriors won’t know the severity until Durant undergoes an MRI exam Tuesday, but they are already dedicating the rest of the Finals to him.
“We do it for Kevin,” guard Klay Thompson said. “We do it for K. We know — I can tell you this, he wants us to compete at the highest level, and we’ll think of him every time we step on the hardwood.”
After entering the series as one of the biggest Finals favorites in NBA history, the Warriors were nearly undone by a rash of injuries. The Raptors opened the fourth quarter on a 25-13 run to take a six-point lead with 3:28 left. Within a 24-second span, Stephen Curry and Thompson hit back-toback 3-pointers to put Golden State up 106-103 with little less than a minute remaining.
After Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry hit a driving layup to cut the home team’s deficit to a point, he got the ball for the final shot, only to watch his last-second heave bounce off the side of the backboard. A raucous crowd fell silent as Curry jumped up and down, pumping his fist. The Warriors had gone to the precipice and survived to see Game 6 on Thursday, a true finale for Oracle Arena.
As he walked to the locker room with his arm around backup guard Quinn Cook, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr smiled slightly. Over the previous two days, he had talked about answering a challenge, about how his team was built to overcome long odds. What Kerr got was a show of resilience that belongs in the documentaries that will be made someday about this team’s dynasty.
In addition to Durant’s injury, center Kevon Looney left midway through the third quarter after aggravating the chest injury that sidelined him for Game 3. To retain a chance at becoming just the second team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 hole in the Finals, the Warriors needed gems from Curry (31 points, eight rebounds, seven assists) and Thompson (26 points), redemption from DeMarcus Cousins (14 points on eight shots) and 20 3-pointers.
Minutes after Golden State closed the game on a 9-2 run to stun fans who had envisioned celebrating the franchise’s first NBA title, Durant posted a message to Instagram: “I’m hurting deep in the soul right now I can’t lie but seeing my brothers get this win was like taking a shot of tequila.”
During his emotional news conference, Myers told reporters to blame him if anyone wanted a scapegoat for Durant’s injury. In recent days, Durant was evaluated by several doctors, all of whom cleared him to play Game 5 after a nine-game absence.
Their worst fears were realized early in the second quarter when Durant laced a hard dribble through his legs and, while attempting to drive to his left, collided with center Serge Ibaka. After Durant lost his grip of the ball, he hopped to the sideline and crumpled to the floor as he grabbed his right leg.
As Durant climbed to his feet and began to limp toward the locker room with the help of team doctor Rick Celebrini, some fans appeared to celebrate his injury. Ibaka and public-address announcer Herbie Kuhn, among others, implored the crowd not to cheer Durant’s misfortune. By the time Durant stepped off the court and yelled, “F—!,” a familiar chorus — “K-D! K-D! K-D!” — came from most of the fans.
When Curry returned to his seat after offering Durant some encouraging words, he buried his face in a towel. There had been no hint that such a gutcheck loomed. Before he was injured Monday, Durant flashed his signature dominance, hitting three 3-pointers in his 12 minutes. Late in the first quarter, he had hopped to his feet after getting undercut by Ibaka chasing a loose ball.
After watching Durant disappear through the tunnel, the Warriors appeared emboldened, unleashing a 13-5 run to seize a 13-point lead. But the Raptors boasted a 3-1 series lead because they matched almost every Golden State rally, and Monday was no exception — that is, until the final seconds.
In addition to amplifying chatter about their “championship mettle,” the Warriors’ triumph helped quash the narrative that the team feels disconnected from Durant. Golden State’s somber postgame locker room and Myers’ news conference underscored how deeply the franchise cares for Durant.
“The shared experiences we have as a team and what we have all been through, that’s way more important than anything that happens out there on the court,” Curry said. “I just feel so bad for (Durant), to be honest.
“Nobody should have to go through something like that, especially with this stage that we have.”
“Nobody should have to go through something like that, especially with this stage that we have.” Stephen Curry, Warriors guard