Kevin Durant was sidelined for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but he still made his voice heard in the Warriors' locker room Thursday night.
Golden State lost to the Toronto Raptors in Durant's absence at Scotiabank Arena. Game 1 marked the Warriors' first defeat since Durant strained his right calf in Golden State's second-round NBA playoff series with the Houston Rockets, and Warriors guard Shaun Livingston told reporters it was "killing [Durant] not to be out" on the court.
"He's been very vocal in here," Livingston said (via ESPN). "At halftime he was having a one-on-one talk with Stephen [Curry]. Giving him what he sees, his perspective. After the game, he was speaking up amongst the team. He had the floor."
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Durant channeled his inner Harry Kane in addressing his injured teammates, but his absence was felt on the court in Game 2. Steph Curry continued his impressive run, but he scored more points (34) than Klay Thompson (21) and Draymond Green (10) combined as the Warriors lacked another offensive option with Durant in the locker room.
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Although the Warriors won five consecutive games in eliminating the Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers without Durant, they missed his shot-making ability in Game 1. They will need his disruptive length on the defensive end as well, even though Raptors star Kawhi Leonard was held in check Thursday.
Durant told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne after the Warriors' Friday practice that he was "getting there" in his recovery, and the Warriors reportedly expect him to return midway through the NBA Finals. Until he does, though, Durant will have to settle for contributing from the locker room as he did in Game 1.
