Kevin Durant had to sit out once again on Wednesday night and watch the Golden State Warriors lose to the Toronto Raptors, and it sounds like the two-time NBA Finals MVP is more than ready to get back onto the court.
Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated painted an image of an “extremely frustrated” Durant watching the Warriors drop Game 3 at home to the Toronto Raptors. He watched in general manager Bob Myers’ office at Oracle Arena as Golden State was outscored 123-109. One Warriors employee tried to put into words how antsy Durant is getting.
“It’s [expletive] killing him,” the staffer told Spears. “Killing him.”
Durant is still recovering from a calf injury that forced him to sit out the entire Western Conference Finals and much of the previous series against the Houston Rockets. Some would say the debate of whether or not the Warriors are better off without him was answered on Wednesday, but point guard Quinn Cook says Durant has played a big role despite that narrative.
“He’s been a great, great leader and motivated everybody by talking a lot,” Cook said. “Ever since he’s been out, he’s been great. But over these past three games, he’s been the best leader you could ask for.”
Durant would be at risk of re-injuring his calf if he returns too soon, but you have to wonder if it’s getting to the point where the Warriors will let him play at less than 100 percent. They’re basically facing a must-win situation in Game 4, as a loss would put them in a 3-1 hole with two of the final three games of the series in Toronto. Steve Kerr thinks Golden State’s biggest problem has been something other than scoring, but either way Durant has clearly been missed. He could push to play on Friday night.
