A month after Kevin Durant injury, things looking up for the Warriors
HOUSTON — No matter what happens at the AT&T Center on Wednesday night, when the NBA’s two best teams face off in what could be the best game yet in this regular season, this much is clear: the Golden State Warriors will have something to smile about.
Why? Because it was announced Wednesday afternoon that Kevin Durant has made "very good" progress in his recovery and could still be back before the end of the regular season. And considering all the palpable Warriors excitement that is building about his eventual return, even a one-sided loss to the San Antonio Spurs wouldn’t be enough to leave them despondent.
Not only is Durant still progressing extremely well after suffering a Grade 2 MCL sprain and tibial bone bruise in his left knee on Feb. 28, with a high level of internal optimism that he'll be back with time to spare in the regular season, but the constant signs that he’s feeling like himself again have sparked all sorts of late-season swagger for this team that was so down a month ago.
“Oh man, I think he’s coming along amazing,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said of Durant. “I saw him working out earlier (before the Warriors beat the Houston Rockets 113-106 at the Toyota Center on Tuesday), and I got excited. He looks like he’s coming along. Obviously his spirits are high and he’s starting to move a lot better, starting to jump a lot better.”
It was there for everyone to see before tipoff against the Rockets.
Durant on the floor working with Warriors assistant Bruce Fraser, white headphones fit snug on his head and black leggings covering the tape on his knee below. He ran off would-be screens without so much as a grimace, pulled up for midrange jumpers that looked as silky smooth as ever. Durant, who is still experiencing some expected tightness in the knee but appears to have moved past the point of pain, is even offering emphatic dunks on a regular basis again.
In turn, with the Warriors having recovered from those early struggles without him to win eight consecutive games, they find themselves with a prime chance to plop into the playoff driver’s seat down the stretch.
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Beating the Rockets was the first step, as it gave Golden State a 2½-game buffer with eight games to go against this Spurs team that is threatening to steal the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. On Monday night, when the Warriors touched down in Houston and were likely lamenting the fact that they’d have to face the Spurs in San Antonio on the second night of a back-to-back for the sixth consecutive time, the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers were being bullied and embarrassed by Gregg Popovich’s sensational squad (103-74).
The Spurs are peaking just in time for the playoffs, and now comes their chance to go to an impressive 5-0 against the two teams who have met in the last two NBA Finals (they’re 2-0 against Cleveland, and 2-0 against Golden State). Warriors point guard Steph Curry didn’t watch much of the rout against the Cavs — six minutes in all, to be exact — but it was more than enough time to be reminded of the threat the Spurs pose.
“It did not take that game for San Antonio to get on my radar, so you know exactly what the challenge is,” Curry said. “We’re ready to go.”
Which wasn’t the case last time they came to town.
Back on March 11, when the Warriors were fuming over the fact that they had played eight games in eight cities over the span of 13 days, Warriors coach Steve Kerr made the controversial decision to rest Curry, Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala. That was their last loss, a 107-85 decision that came with the Spurs missing Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge and left the Warriors looking like a vulnerable bunch.
What a difference 17 days can make. From losing five of seven games to looking very much like a team that will still find its way, the Warriors are surging forward again.
“We were spent (leading into the last Spurs matchup), and I could feel that; our staff could feel that,” Kerr said. “This time, it’s a short flight (from Houston, as opposed to Minneapolis last time on a back-to-back). We don’t anticipate resting anybody. Guys are good to go. The schedule has been fine. We’ll go in there and see what we can do.”
Beat the Spurs without Durant, and the smiles will be that much bigger.
“I think this comes at a great time for us,” Green said. “Playing great teams like we are, with Houston tonight, San Antonio (on Wednesday), then Houston (at home on Friday), Washington (at home on Sunday). That’s a great tune-up for the playoffs, you know? The type of intensity that it takes. The type of focus that it takes in order to win games like that. I think it’s great for us.”
Added Curry: “Yeah, (this game) matters. We’re showing up to play, ready to go. We want to get a win, obviously, and the things that it’ll take to get the win (are) things that will help us win in the playoffs. They’re a team that doesn’t really beat themselves. You have to go in and beat them, and you can’t let go of the rope at any point in the game, so it’ll challenge us.”
Follow Sam Amick on Twitter @Sam_Amick
