The stage was set, it was all or nothing.  The Golden State Warriors, 2-time defending champs, in a 3-1 hole to the Toronto Raptors.  They’ve been in this situation before, on both sides.  In 2016 they were down to KD’s OKC team 3-1 and came back to make The Finals.  Then in The Finals that year, against the Cavaliers, they led 3-1 and proceeded to lose 3 straight after Draymond Green’s suspension.

After splitting the first 2 games in Toronto many thought that the Warriors would put their foot on the gas in Oakland and take a commanding lead.  Instead it was the other way around.  The Raptors swept 2 from the Warriors in Oakland to take a commanding lead.  Game 5 was either gonna be a coronation for the Raptors or a stay of execution by the Warriors.

The night started with a pleasant surprise, with the return of all-star, Kevin Durant.  Durant had missed all of the conference finals and the first 4 games of The Finals due to what was termed a strained calf suffered in the conference semi-finals against Houston.

Durant made his return in game 5 and got off to a fabulous start.  But then the unthinkable happened.  Durant crumpled to the floor after trying to make a move in the 2nd quarter.  He left the game with what appeared to be an Achilles injury.  The question then became should he have even been out there?

The Warriors would go on to win and force a game 6 back in Oakland, led by fantastic performances from the Splash Brothers.  But was the cost for that win too great?  When Durant was originally injured in the Houston series, it looked like an Achilles injury, but the Warriors billed it as a strained calf.  Many experts and fans, including myself, did not expect to see Durant back during this post season.  His workouts leading up to game 5 were not great, and he was seen walking around with an ice pack on his Achilles, not his calf.

The immediate question is why was he cleared when he clearly was not 100%?  I know the Warriors were desperate for a win, but now you’re playing with this man’s future.  Not just his health, but his financial future. This summer was supposed to be KD’s big payday.  This was supposed to be the year that he made a decision on where he’d spend the rest of his career and GET THAT BAG!  But after last night’s events, all that has changed.

If you ask me, there’s no one individual to blame for this tragedy.  Everyone is to blame, from the Warriors and the medical staff, to KD himself.  The Dubs were desperate, but no way KD should have been cleared to play, and they should have been honest about the original injury.  And KD, you have to take care of yourself.  We all remember how puzzled we were about Kawhi Leonard not playing that last season with the Spurs, and everyone questioning his health.  That situation right there should be a lesson to all players going forward.  Trust yourself and YOUR OWN TEAM.  Not the team doctors and staff members.  Grant Hill’s all-star level career was cut short due to negligence by the Detroit Pistons staff that kept telling him his ankle was fine.  Six surgeries, and a malpractice suit later, we find out that his ankle really was screwed up.

KD, we’re all praying for you and hope you have a speedy recovery.  In the meantime, we’ll all be tuned into game 6 to see if the Dubs can do what was done to them in 2016.