OAKLAND, Calif. _ The Warriors are playing in their fifth straight NBA Finals and going for their third straight title and fourth in five years with what many regard as a super team. But that level of sustained excellence has taken a toll on a team that is limping toward the finish line and reeling from key injuries while fighting off a determined challenge from Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors.
Kevin Durant has missed both games of a 1-1 series with a calf injury, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr declared the two-time Finals MVP out of Game 3 Wednesday night at Oracle Arena after he failed to practice on Tuesday. In addition, Kerr said backup center Kevon Looney, who has played a key role, will miss the rest of the series after suffering a fractured collarbone in Game 2, and guard Klay Thompson is questionable after leaving Game 2 with a strained left hamstring.
Starting center DeMarcus Cousins will be playing just his third game since returning from a quad injury, and sixth man Andre Iguodala is nursing a calf injury. That means the Warriors will be more heavily dependent than ever on Steph Curry.
"Steph leads with his example, his work ethic, his humility," Kerr said. "The players all love him. With the injuries, where he's grown is his awareness, his understanding of what needs to happen, what he needs to do when other guys are out, just game management stuff. But he's always been the same person. I think that's the beauty of Steph. He's a rock. Our guys lean on him all the time."
As for Thompson, the other half of the Splash Brothers tried to maintain an optimistic outlook about his availability for Game 3 but said he must be wary of taking unnecessary risks.
"For me personally, it would be hard to see me not playing," Thompson said. "Hopefully, I'll feel much better and be a go for tip-off ... If there's any pain, it will be a no-go because of the position we're in. This could be a longer series, so there's no point in going out and re-aggravating it and potentially keep myself out of the whole, entire Finals instead of just one game. But I really want to be out there."
When Thompson was injured in the third quarter of Game 3, his hamstring knotted up so that he couldn't run. But he said his progress since then has been encouraging and the pain he felt on Tuesday was "nothing crazy."
Although Durant did not practice, he might be showing signs of progress. Durant attended the Warriors' film session Tuesday at Oracle Arena and was scheduled to work out in the afternoon at their practice facility. Kerr has said Durant needs one practice before playing, which means he would have to practice Thursday to play Game 4 on Friday.
Kerr said the Warriors' bench players simply have to be ready to step up. "I think you have to be fearless, too, which our team is," Kerr said. "You can't worry about anything. You just play and compete and let it fly and whatever happens, happens."
If Thompson can't go, Cousins' role at the offensive end could expand dramatically, but the key remains Curry whether he's playing a two-man game with Cousins or running the Warriors' regular offense in concert with forward Draymond Green.
"We all just understand the moment, and we're very locked in and focused on adapting to the circumstances that are thrown at us right now with a lot of injuries and uncertainty of even who is going to be able to play," Curry said. "We have been through a lot, had a lot of different experiences. This is just adding to that book."
