Kevin Durant came back from a calf injury in Game 5 of the NBA Championship… only to rupture his Achilles Tendon.
I agree with the popular opinion: Tragic.
I also agree with the other popular opinion: What a fighter… a warrior!
Having KD in there was awesome. Easy to tell with his offense. But I thought the real advantage was his defense. The Raptors, who have been driving to the basket with regularity, couldn’t get around KD’s speed & massive wingspan. Indeed, it was clear the Warrior defense simply played at a different level with KD in there.
But, I may be the only one to have some additional, random odd thoughts about this as well:
- Did anyone else feel guilty because we all secretly wanted KD to play, and all secretly thought the calf injury couldn’t be that bad? I certainly was feeling guilty… and the press was no help. But then I thought about it: I was told it was a calf injury… which is certainly surmountable with a full 30 days of professional physical therapy. If we were told it wasn’t actually a calf injury but it affected the Achilles, too, I am positive there’s not a single person that would have expected him to play. So I don’t want to feel guilty for rooting for a terrific player to come back given the information we were given.
- Did anyone see that massive ice pack they put around KD’s calf when he first came out of the game? I originally thought, “uh, oh, that can’t be good.” And then I thought about it… and decided that was smart to keep any swelling down. Now that I think about it, though, it also froze all the muscles and ligaments… which could have contributed to making the Achilles vulnerable. I wonder if any physical therapists are rethinking that strategy today?
- Steve Kerr is obviously brilliant. But, I wonder why he didn’t rest KD longer during the game? The Warriors seemed like they had things in hand… and, after all, KD hadn’t played for 30 days, you would think he would have wanted to play him sparingly… ?
- Final odd thought: When he torn his Achilles, he simply let go of the ball… which resulted in an easy layup for Raptors. For an athlete of the top caliber as KD, you would think he would have at least tried to call a time out… or try to pass the ball to a teammate in some way. Remember when 49er NaVorro Bowan suffered a hugely painful — gruesome — knee injury against the Seahawks? As he was writhing in pain, he still had the professional presence of mind to search for the ball — while flat on his back — and secure it. It was one of the bravest moments I’ve ever seen in sports. I kinda feel like KD could have… or maybe should have?… done something like that, too.
OK, enough odd thoughts. I sincerely hope Kevin Durant heals fully and quickly, he absolutely deserves it.
And, among the many reasons why I want the Warriors to win, now chief among them is to get a ring for KD! He absolutely deserves that, too.
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