The Toronto Raptors were unable to close out the Golden State Warriors on Monday, much to the detriment of Oprah Winfrey and her fans.
Live Nation Ontario announced in a tweet on Tuesday that the media icon’s show scheduled for Fri. Jun. 14 at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena (the home of the Raptors) had to be cancelled due to the requirements of the NBA Finals.
Due to the ongoing NBA Finals schedule and continuing requirements for Scotiabank Arena by the NBA, we regret to announce that the "Your Path Made Clear" show on Friday, June 14, 2019 has been cancelled. All tickets will be automatically refunded at point of purchase. pic.twitter.com/7BxtwtFjlI
Game 6 of the Finals will take place in Oakland on Thursday. Should the Warriors win that contest however, Game 7 will be held in Toronto on Sunday.
It goes without saying that Winfrey’s event likely would have gone ahead as planned if the Raptors had taken care of business in Game 5. With head coach Nick Nurse getting a lot of blame for the loss, it’s probably safe to assume that he won’t be getting a free subscription to O Magazine any time soon.
Kevin Durant going down with an Achilles’ tendon injury during Game 5 of the NBA Finals was an absolute worst outcome nobody wanted to see. The guy was trying to grit through an injury and lead his team to a championship, was playing well, but went down early in the second quarter with an injury. Golden State Warriors President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers said after the game that Durant had been medically cleared to play and nobody was to blame for the unfortunate outcome. Regardless of what he says, the Warriors were still irresponsible in their handling of Durant’s injury and return.
First, let me get this out of the way: the decision to allow Durant to play in Game 5 was not necessarily irresponsible. Without knowing more information about who did or didn’t want him to play, if Durant wanted to play and was refusing to be told no, he has the power to override any medical recommendation.
Where the Warriors erred was with the way they handled Durant’s return.
They gave him no minutes restriction and made him the focal point of the offense, asking him to do everything as if he had never missed a game. That was entirely too much for a guy playing his first game in over a month, with limited practice time, who had just suffered a setback 3-4 days earlier. When DeMarcus Cousins returned from his quad injury, he was eased into action and had a minutes limit. That is typical for a player returning from a lower body injury to avoid aggravating it.
Also consider that Durant tried to work out and play in Game 4 on Friday night but was not able to do it, which was described by Brian Windhorst as a setback. ESPN’s Jalen Rose also said before Game 4 that Durant’s workout the day before did not go well. He said he felt like Durant might not return for the series.
Jalen Rose says he watched Kevin Durant’s work out yesterday and thinks there’s no way he’s coming back this year. #NBAFinalspic.twitter.com/JcL5dFVQxR
“I’m really familiar with the setup, workout that KD had yesterday with the team,” Rose said, “and I’m going to tell you guys, it didn’t go well on any level. It did not go well on any level. I’m just going to keep it at that.”
“I went from being a guy that thinks that he may come back later in the series,” Rose added. “Now I feel like he might not come back at all.”
Allowing Durant to play in Game 5 when the team is down 3-1 is one thing. Putting no minutes restriction on him and giving him a huge role in the offense like he hadn’t just had a bad workout before the previous game is madness. That’s fantasy land nonsense. That’s wishing and hoping that all is normal when it really isn’t. That’s irresponsible handling of a player that never made sense, likely the result of desperation due to being down 3-1.
On top of the way they handled Durant’s return, the way the team handled updates surrounding his injury made matters worse.
The Warriors were not giving clear updates on Durant’s status, which allowed uncertainty over the matter to linger and become more and more of a daily question. Early on, they had been giving weekly updates on his status, but that stopped after May 23.
The Warriors’ last official medical update about his status came on May 23, in which they said he would not be ready for the beginning of the Finals but were hopeful he would be ready later in the series.
They also issued an announcement on May 9, the day after Durant suffered the injury. They announced an MRI had confirmed their diagnosis of a strained calf.
The Warriors were downplaying the severity of the injury from the start. Their feelings and timelines about his status never seemed to match the visual evidence of how bad the injury looked when he suffered it against the Rockets. The only player who looked that bad and returned quickly from an injury was Paul Pierce, and it turns out he was faking it. Maybe the lack of updates ahead of and during the NBA Finals was gamesmanship to cause preparation problems for the Raptors. But by not issuing further updates about his status after May 23, they put pressure on him to return.
Don’t believe me? How about team owner Joe Lacob saying on May 21 that Durant would return for the Finals. You think the owner making that pronouncement did Durant any favors regarding his status? You think that didn’t set expectations from fans that Durant would return and put unneeded pressure on the star? That was an irresponsible comment by Lacob to make.
The Warriors have developed a reputation over the last few years for being incredibly patient and cautious with handling their players and their injuries. They let Steph Curry and Draymond Green miss time to heal from their injuries this season and did not want to rush either back. They forced Klay Thompson to sit out Game 3 of the Finals with his hamstring strain.
But you know what the difference is between those situations and where Durant found himself? The Warriors knew they could always be patient with their players in the regular season and postseason to an extent because they had a stacked roster and could survive injuries. They were able to sweep Portland without Durant. They were only 1-1 in the series when they had Thompson miss a game. They weren’t trailing, on the brink of elimination, down 3-1, and realizing they needed Durant in order to win the series otherwise their season would end.
For the first time in the last three years, the Warriors were desperate, and that desperation led them to not exercise their best judgment.
Toronto Raptors fans who were inside Scotiabank Arena for Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night have been criticized for the way they reacted to Kevin Durant suffering another injury, and the fans viewing the game from outside deserve just as much scrutiny.
Jurassic Park, the fan viewing area outside Scotiabank Arena, has gained popularity throughout the postseason for the passion Raptors fans have shown in supporting their team. However, several of them crossed the line when they cheered and waived goodbye as Durant hobbled off the court.
Even some Raptors players scolded fans who were cheering when Durant went down, so they probably won’t think much of the reaction from Jurassic Park, either. Durant being out probably gives Toronto a better chance to win, but openly rooting for injuries is pretty low.
If you’re going to stand in line for an entire day just to get into Jurassic Park, don’t make it so you can root for star players on the other team to get hurt.
A number of Toronto Raptors fans may have had classless reactions to Kevin Durant suffering a potentially serious Achilles injury during Game 5 on Monday night, but Drake was not one of them. In fact, the rapper went out of his way to let people know how concerned he is about the Golden State Warriors star.
After the Warriors came back to beat the Raptors and keep their championship hopes alive, Drake said in an Instagram post that his “only concern” is Durant’s health.
“Was tough for any of us to even enjoy that game tonight after seeing this transpire. Praying for our brother. That’s my only concern tonight is your well being. ‘The game needs me’ is an understatement when it comes to 35. Please wish the best for this true warrior,” Drake wrote.
Drake also showed Durant some love as he was helped off the court.
Raptors fans were scolded by their own players over their reaction to Durant’s injury, and Drake is the most recognizable of all of them. While you might think his actions and words were disingenuous, keep in mind that he is close with several Warriors players and had to cover up some of his tattoos before the NBA Finals because of that. That dynamic has likely made the series even more enjoyable for Drake, so it’s no surprise he’s disappointed Durant is not going to be a part of it going forward.
Kevin Durant did all he could to help the Golden State Warriors get back in their series against the Toronto Raptors before he suffered an apparent Achilles injury on Monday night, and his mother hopes that will be a lesson to those who have questioned Durant’s passion.
On Tuesday morning, Wanda Durant took to Twitter to blast Durant’s critics in the wake of the latest injury.
For ALL of you who question my son as a Man, question his Heart, question his Integrity and question his LOVE for the game of basketball, you DON’T know him. He has a heart of a true Warrior! This too shall pass. God Bless you ALL. pic.twitter.com/y0qcQ5Boga
Durant has a very close relationship with his mother, and she has always been one of his most outspoken supporters.
The Warriors reportedly fear that Durant suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Game 5. They will now have to answer questions about whether or not they cleared Durant to return too early, and some comments Steve Kerr made before and after Golden State’s comeback win are not the best look for the team.
Kevin Durant suffered what is feared to be a torn Achilles tendon during Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night, which has naturally led to questions about whether he was cleared to play prematurely. Based on what Steve Kerr said before and after the game, it sounds like that is a possibility.
Prior to tip-off, ESPN’s Doris Burke reported that Kerr told her the team has no long-term concerns for Durant or fears of an Achilles injury. He only said Durant could possibly “tweak” the calf injury.
Doris Burke during pregame "I asked about the possibility of reinjury , Steve Kerr said listen we have no long-term concerns or Achilles issues, what we know is that he could possibly tweak it, that's their only concern" (h/t @MaxMakeMovespic.twitter.com/LmtX4FuT0r
Kerr then seemed to be in disbelief following Golden State’s comeback win over the Toronto Raptors. According to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, the coach kept saying over and over again that doctors said Durant wouldn’t injure himself further.
Rachel Nichols "Steve Kerr said the doctors told him that Kevin Durant couldn't get more hurt" pic.twitter.com/2tk6B1o9Zk
You really can’t jump to conclusions without knowing all of the details. It could be that Durant was told of the risks and insisted on playing, though Kerr’s remarks indicated that was not the case. General manager Bob Myers said he would accept the blame for Durant’s injury during a very emotional postgame press conference.
Warriors president Bob Myers confirmed after the game that the injury was to Durant’s Achilles and different from the calf strain he suffered against the Rockets in the conference semifinals.
The widespread belief was that Durant had torn his Achilles. Raptors coach Nick Nurse said in his postgame press conference that word spread within their team that Durant had torn something. Video also seemed to show the Achilles popping.
Pay attention to how #KevinDurant right calf contracts violently. Beleive it or not, the strength of the gasteocnemius muscle contracting so quickly/forcefully is what tears the Achilles tendon. pic.twitter.com/odCSgdNiGF
Nick Nurse is being crushed for calling an oddly-timed timeout at the end of Game 5 that seemed to kill the Toronto Raptors’ momentum against the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.
The Raptors were leading 103-97 after Kawhi Leonard had scored 10 straight points to give them the lead. Leonard had made four straight shots, the Warriors had missed two in a row, and the Raptors had all the momentum but decided to halt their run by calling a timeout with 3:05 left. It was bizarre considering the team that’s seeing the game slip away usually calls the timeout, not the other way around.
After the timeout, the Warriors outscored the Raptors 9-2 to win the game 106-105.
Numerous media members expressed surprise over the timeout call by Nurse.
Raptors were absolutely rolling & GSW had only 1 timeout & so they couldn’t stop the run.
Then Nick Nurse called a timeout to stop his own run, and the game has totally flipped.
playing devils advocate a bit. don't like that timeout by Nurse. Kawhi is hot. Warriors look tired. why give them time to gather themselves and get their composure back?
The Raptors coach shared his reasoning in his postgame press conference. He said they lose the timeouts after the 3-minute mark, so he figured he would use both before they were gone to give his players extra rest.
Nick Nurse is asked why he called that hideous timeout.
Kyle Lowry didn’t completely brick the Toronto Raptors’ final shot in a 106-105 Game 5 loss because he’s an awful shooter. Rather, his shot missed so badly because it was deflected by Draymond Green.
A photo the SF Chronicle’s Scott Strazzante shows that Green got a finger on the ball.
Lowry was roasted for missing the shot so badly but probably should not have been. The situation is reminiscent of what happened with Bears kicker Cody Parkey, who missed a field goal against the Eagles in the playoffs that would have won the game. It later turned out the kick was deflected.
Green is an elite defender and continues to prove it.
An emotional Bob Myers spoke after Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night and defended Kevin Durant as a person while saying he would accept any blame for the superstar’s Achilles injury.
The Golden State Warriors president spoke to the media with a shaky voice and shared why Durant was cleared for the game.
“He was cleared to play tonight. That was a collaborative decision. I don’t believe there’s anybody to blame, but I understand this world. If you have to, you can blame me. I run our basketball operations department,” Myers said.
Durant took some criticism for not playing previously during the Finals. Some questioned his status, injury, and desire. Myers wanted to end all of that.
“The people that questioned whether he wanted to get back and play were wrong. He’s one of the most misunderstood people. He’s a good teammate and I’m lucky to know him.”
"It's an Achilles injury. … He'll have an MRI tomorrow."
Bob Myers holds back tears as he explains the magnitude of Kevin Durant's injury. pic.twitter.com/glQ6j5hATe
