The Finals

Who wins?

  • Total voters
    18
  • Poll closed .
206Fan said:
I’m sorry, but it’s complete BS that Durant was pressured to play tonight. Yes it’s an elimination game in the finals, but he was clearly not ready to go out and play. I put this on the entire Warriors organization and even the whispers of players being upset at him sitting. Also, Draymond is a *****. Teammates have feuds, but I guess they do need KD now right?
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I agree but hindsight is 20/20 and for the first twelve minutes, it looked like KD was healthy enough to not only play but to play at his usual high level. That his achilles snapped is incredibly unfortunate but they were adamant his previous injury was a calf issue.
 
Maybe someone can explain why Durant leaves the building and does not show up on the bench in the NBA Championship Series on the team that he is supposed to be the leader of?
 
SLAB said:
Because he may have torn his freakin’ Achilles.

Give me a break with your Warriors bashing.
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In what world would having a guy who just blew out his Achilles sitting there taking up three seats on the bench with his leg fully extended and elevated and clearly not in the right mind for basketball given the fact that he just suffered a career threatening injury be a good idea?
 
Tetsujin said:
I agree but hindsight is 20/20 and for the first twelve minutes, it looked like KD was healthy enough to not only play but to play at his usual high level. That his achilles snapped is incredibly unfortunate but they were adamant his previous injury was a calf issue.
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Wow. Didn’t realize he had injured the Achilles until reading it here.

Doris Burke’s pre-tip off report stated that Kerr and the Warriors “have no long term concerns or Achilles issues. What we know is he could possibly tweak it (of the previous calf injury). But that’s their only concern.”

It sure looks as if that diagnosis was far off.

I wonder if this significant injury cements KD’s return to GSW? It wouldn’t seem likely for anyone to hand out a max contract to a player probably 6-9 months away from returning all while not knowing how it will affect the remainder of his career. He will be 31 in September.
 
I realize talk of KD’s injury is going to dominate all ... but one other factor I haven’t seen mentioned is the fact that Pascal Siakam didn’t play the final 9:02. WTF?

Nick Nurse made several coaching blunders in Q4, but how in the world does that guy not at least get on the floor for defensive purposes down the stretch if for no other reason? Did he suffer an injury I haven’t heard about?
 
SLAB said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1138325148069781504

Oh man...
:(
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I’m rooting for Toronto and hate GSW sans Boogie and Steph. But this is a bummer to hear and I applaud KD for risking himself for the benefit of the team even though it looks like it didn’t work out. He had a lot to lose given his age and impending free agency but worked hard to return and took a calculated risk in doing so, just like Boogie Cousins.

I still feel he was a front runner and I’ll never like his decision to join a ready made team, but there’s no questioning his talent, work ethic, and heart. I surely hope his career isn’t at all compromised by the injury.
 
fansinceday1 said:
My opinion, if the raptors lose game 6 they crap away game 7 too for a massive finals choke job. They don’t handle pressure too well and a game 7 against a team like the warriors who thrive on pressure would be way too much for the raptors to
overcome.
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Have you watch them in the playoff? They were down 0-2 against the buck then barely win game 3 in double OT before reeling off another three wins
 
Pacboy said:
Have you watch them in the playoff? They were down 0-2 against the buck then barely win game 3 in double OT before reeling off another three wins
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Yeah, this isn’t the same team. I mean, even the battle tested Warriors lost a series when holding a 3-1 lead. It happens from time to time. The opponents are really, really good. So GSW surely can do the same.

This Raptors team has shown to be resilient. And they’ve got Kawhi Leonard. If they don’t sit Pascal Siakam for the final 9 minutes and shoot a bit better than they did tonight, I really like their chances of winning one more game.

Seriously, the Warriors hit 20/42 threes while the Raptors only hit 8/32. Yet the game still came down to the last shot. As good as Steph and Klay are, I just don’t see 20/42 or Toronto stinking it up for 2 more straight games.

The Raptors play really good defense so the odds are the hot team shooting will level off and conversely Toronto should be able to shoot better themselves next game or the game after.

I’m actually more encouraged for Toronto than I was before knowing what it took to beat them tonight.
 
steelevt said:
Would you guys give him the max knowing it's a ruptured Achilles and he would be out most, if not the whole year, if it meant he would play the following year for the kings?
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I think I might. I mean, it's unknown how it could affect him going forward. He'll be 31 in September and, as you said, might be 32 before he plays again if he had to sit out an entire season.

But I feel that he's the type of player that will work so hard to return to what he has been. And while these types of injuries are serious, they aren't the same as they used to be -- similar to ACL's. We've seen players come back and have success. Medical technology and recovery keeps improving.

Kobe Bryant was around 34 1/2 when he suffered the injury in 2013. He wasn't the same after, but was 4 years older at the time and also not the 7 foot freak KD is.

Obviously, more recently, Boogie suffered the injury at 27 yo. Until his subsequent quad injury, he looked pretty good afterward considering.

If KD returned to 75% of what he's been, a team like the KINGS would be an instant contender if they landed him.
 
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Ozymandias said:
Of course... Waiting a year would be small-potatoes compared to signing KD for a few years..
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Seriously. Even if KD suffers long term effects from the injury, he’s still so long and so skilled that he should still be an All-NBA player.

Bagley/KD/Barnes/Buddy/DeFox would seriously dominate games at a peak Warriors level.
 
KingsFanSince85 said:
I think I might. I mean, it's unknown how it could affect him going forward. He'll be 31 in September and, as you said, might be 32 before he plays again if he had to sit out an entire season.

But I feel that he's the type of player that will work so hard to return to what he has been. And while these types of injuries are serious, they aren't the same as they used to be -- similar to ACL's. We've seen players come back and have success. Medical technology and recovery keeps improving.

Kobe Bryant was around 34 1/2 when he suffered the injury in 2013. He wasn't the same after, but was 4 years older at the time and also not the 7 foot freak KD is.

Obviously. more recently, Boogie suffered the injury at 27 yo. Until his subsequent quad injury, he looked pretty good afterward considering.

If KD returned to 75% of what he's been, a team like the KINGS would be an instant contender if they landed him.
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Should also be noted Kobe’s game was more predicated on athleticism and getting separation than KD’s. He was still a good player after the injury and would have been even better if he wasn’t dumb and such a ballhog
 
steelevt said:
Would you guys give him the max knowing it's a ruptured Achilles and he would be out most, if not the whole year, if it meant he would play the following year for the kings?
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I would not. I'd rather invest in a younger player and hope we could build a team that can make a 4-5 year run. If we got 2-3 good years out of KD we'd better hope that the rest of the team was running on all cylinders and it may take a few more years for that.

I imagine his best option is to either negotiate an extension or opt into the final year of his contract and rehab on GS's dime.
 
Durant has been MIA for the whole series.

Pro sports are a business. There is tremendous pressure for players to play hurt and to come back too soon especially if a Championship is at stake. We do not get the whole story. Bogdan was very tight lipped about his own physical challenges as an example. Durant's return was only BS if you do not understand how pro sports operate. I hope he did not tear his Achilles tendon. This is the first I have heard of it.
 
The calf is connected to the achilles. I just can't believe that the medical experts did not disclose that there was some risk of an achilles tear for Durant. Maybe they said it was a minor risk, but I'd be shocked if they didn't disclose there was the possibility of catastrophic injury in coming back as soon as he did. Muscle tears leave scar tissue, which is inflexible compared to muscle, which ends up putting more strain on the surrounding tissue. It's a bummer for Durant and for the league. By the time he gets his achilles healed he's going to be on the downside of his career.
 
I had drinks with a friend from the Bay on Friday and she was saying she was hoping the calf injury wasn't secretly an achilles that went undisclosed. Really weird that he came back and that happened right away. I do feel for him, not really stoked on how he handled his exit from OKC but its also very evident from the way GS has played without him that his importance can not be understated. The notion that he took a shortcut might have some merit, but the notion that they'd be where they are without him has clearly been proven incorrect.
 
Grant just went scorched earth on Cousins for calling the Raptors fan reaction to KDs injury “trash”.

Probably his most volatile anti-Cousins diatribe yet. Though not nearly his longest. Called him a disgrace
 
Kingz19 said:
Grant just went scorched earth on Cousins for calling the Raptors fan reaction to KDs injury “trash”.

Probably his most volatile anti-Cousins diatribe yet. Though not nearly his longest. Called him a disgrace
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What an A-hole! I mean, like Cousins or not -- he's 100% right. The fan reaction was utterly ridiculous.

I said during the game that I understood the reason for the reaction -- but that still doesn't excuse it. KD has become a hated player around the league for numerous reasons and the fans didn't know the extent of the injury at the moment it happened. I feel quite confident that had the injury been grotesque a la Gordon Hayward, the reaction wouldn't have been the same. Regardless, cheering an injury is never a cool thing to do.

Peaches is taking is hate way too far. With his attitude, he's likely one to cheer an injury just like those Toronto fans.
 
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