Kevin Durant‘s devastating injury in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals was one of the major turning points of the series, and Draymond Green seemingly agrees with that statement.
Durant, who was still a member of the Golden State Warriors, suffered an Achilles injury in that fateful Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors. Despite leaving early, the Warriors secured the win in Toronto before the Raptors clinched the title in Game 6.
Nearly 12 months later, Green is adamant that the Warriors would’ve won their third straight championship with a healthy Durant.
“[Toronto] wouldn’t have stood a chance if Kevin didn’t get hurt,” Green said on Showtime’s All The Smoke with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. “Kevin don’t get hurt — you seen the game he came back in Game 5, I looked up, it was like six minutes to go, we had like 40 points in the first quarter.”
Durant had 11 points in 12 minutes in Game 5 before he was hurt. The Warriors also lost Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney to injuries during the Finals, with the likes of DeMarcus Cousins, Steph Curry and Andre Iguodala injured at different stages during the 2019 post-season.
Durant eventually left the Warriors via free agency and signed with the Brooklyn Nets last July. He has yet to play a single minute with his new team because of the Achilles injury.
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