Kevin Durant set to play Game 4
Kevin Durant, the Golden State Warriors’ superstar forward, will return to the lineup in Game 4 after missing Games 2 and 3 with a calf injury.
The Golden State Warriors have spent the last few months winning a lot of basketball games. They’ve done most of it without Kevin Durant. That needs to change.
Durant got hurt at the end of February. He suffered an MCL sprain and was sidelined until the end of the regular season. He played three tune up games as Golden State headed into the playoffs with the top record in the league.
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Then, during Game 1, his left calf cramped up. He sat out the next two games with a left calf strain. It seemed like he could have played, but the team wanted to be extra cautious.
He’ll return to the starting lineup in Game 4 as the Warriors look to put the Portland Trailblazers away. They are up 3-0, beating them handily in Game 2 and winning in comeback fashion in Game 3. Durant will look to close it out.
Having the 2014 MVP back will be nice for Golden State’s other three All-Stars who have had to work a little harder with a shorthanded team. They’ve been without more than just Durant. Matt Barnes and Shaun Livingston have been out due to injury as well.
The most important part of Durant’s return isn’t closing out the series. The Warriors can beat the Blazers without him. They’ve shown that.
The Warriors are missing Steve Kerr. He is out with an illness stemming from complications from his 2015 back surgery. He is out indefinitely and could potentially miss the rest of the playoffs.
Mike Brown is running the show while Kerr is out. He needs to figure out how to make Durant fit with Steph Curry and the other stars. Game 4 against the Blazers has the lowest possible stakes a playoff game can have. There’s no pressure for the Warriors to be excellent in this one so Brown and Durant can focus on getting into a rhythm.
The Warriors are the best team in the league. Now they get to add Kevin Durant to the mix. That’s not a good sign for the rest of the league.