OAKLAND — A healthy Kevin Durant for the duration of the postseason is more important to the Warriors than guaranteeing themselves the best chance to win Game 2 on Wednesday.
Durant’s left calf tightened after Sunday’s Game 1 win, enough to the point that he missed practice on Tuesday. The team is listing him as questionable and he spent the day getting treatment at the team facility.
This will be Steve Kerr and training staff’s decision — because you know Durant will be angling to be on the court. The best way to fully heal from a muscle strain is rest. Plain and simple.
“If he didn’t practice, there’s concern,” Kerr said, before saying Durant will be returning again this series.
If it truly is Kerr’s call, place a wager on Durant sitting out Game 2. Frequent KNBR featured guest, Bay Area News Group’s Anthony Slater, pulled video from Game 1. On second thought, Durant looks like he’s playing through some pain.
Kevin Durant's left calf discomfort started late in the third quarter in Game 1. Played/scored through it, but issue apparently lingered pic.twitter.com/2ldgMclKYQ
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 18, 2017
In the grand scheme of things, Kerr should be willing to jeopardize a game early in the playoffs to ensure Durant’s health. Call it overly cautious if you want. But if Durant aggravated the calf Wednesday — or worse, injured something else by overcompensating — and was out for an extended period of time, problems could arise.
What makes this tricky is that both Matt Barnes (right foot, right ankle) and Shaun Livingston (right index finger, hand contusion) are also listed as questionable. Kerr admitted Barnes’ status could be impacted by Durant’s — I saw Barnes looking spry during a pregame shooting session Sunday. Pat McCaw and Ian Clark are capable of sliding up in the rotation at the respective wing and guard spots. But if none of the three can suit up, it leaves the Warriors without two productive bench players and an MVP-caliber threat. If Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum score the way they did in Game 1, the Trail Blazers can steal Game 2. Then all the pressure would be on the Warriors in one of the toughest arenas to play at in the NBA.
The Warriors thrived in 19 games without Durant, but that’s not the point here. They don’t want to know what it feels like to be without KD for an extended period of time in the postseason. In the meantime, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala proved over a large stretch that they can make up for KD’s absence on offense. Oh, yeah, let’s not forget about Steph Curry either.
Just in case you still aren’t sold, there are two other factors that could lead Kerr to sitting Durant:
A: Time. Game 3 isn’t until Saturday, which theoretically will give Durant five full days of rest for his calf. The difference between two days and five days of rest for a minor strain could make all the difference. Expect Kerr to keep his cards close to the vest tomorrow at shootaround and the Warriors to make a public decision closer to 5:45 on Wednesday.
B: Dynamic Trail Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic has already been ruled out for Game 2. A fracture in his left fibula is too much to overcome this soon. That keeps the 7-footer off the court and forces the Trail Blazers to play small-ball — right into the Warriors hands. If Nurkic was going to play injured, the Warriors would have a stronger argument to play Durant. Noah Vonleh and Meyers Leonard are Portland’s other centers.
It was more of a freak accident than a controllable injury, but remember, the Warriors were without Curry for six postseason games in 2016. Curry and Kerr both refused to blame an NBA Finals collapse on the fact that Curry wasn’t 100 percent, but athletically, it was evident there were limitations to his game.
The last thing the Warriors can afford is a Durant injury to open up the door for the Spurs, Rockets or Cavaliers. They can afford a Game 2 loss — and don’t expect them to lose either.