Kevin Durant Hopeful To Play In Game 3
OAKLAND (CBS SF/AP) -- Injured Warriors star Kevin Durant took to Youtube to tell fans he hopeful to be in uniform and on the court for Game 3 of Golden State's NBA playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers Saturday night.
Durant injured his calf in the third quarter of the Warriors Game One victory and was held out of the Game Two win.
In his place, the Warriors three-headed monster at center -- JaVale McGee, David West and Zaza Pachulia played a dominant role in Golden State's 110-81 blowout win. While rookie Patrick McCaw played a solid game starting in Durant's place.
"A shout out to JaVale McGee, he played a great game. Patrick McCaw who stepped in... those were the unsung heros of the night," he said on the video.
He also knows the importance of Game 3.
"The Dubs are up 2-0 which is a good sign," he said. "We're not satisfied. Being up 2-0 with the home court advantage, the series doesn't really start to Game 3."
On the video post, Durant is sitting on the couch in a Bay Area music studio. Guitars nearby and his injured left calf having blue kinesiology tape wrapped on it.
"I miss being out there with them and hopefully I'm out there the next game. Speaking of that, I have a little calf injury," he said. "Unfortunate that I pulled my calf in Game 1 in the third quarter. It felt good to finish the game but afterward it tightened up on me a little bit and I was sore for the next few days."
After he missed 19 games with a left knee injury sustained Feb. 28 at Washington then returning for the final three regular-season contests, the Warriors certainly aren't going to take any risks with KD . He had 32 points and 10 rebounds in a Game 1 victory Sunday — his playoff debut with the Warriors.
"It felt like I could go yesterday but Coach Kerr and the training staff and the whole organization told me it would be best to give it a few more days of rest, so hopefully I'll see how I feel these next couple days," Durant said. "We have one more extra day before the game starts, we'll see how I feel. But I'm getting better every day. Hopefully I can be out there with my teammates grinding it out, trying to move forward and get a W in Game 3. We'll see what happens."
Golden State took the day off from practice Thursday following the 110-81 victory, then was scheduled to practice Friday morning before flying to Portland.
"We've been in that situation and hopefully it's a very short absence for him and he'll be back soon," center Zaza Pachulia said. "But health is very important, obviously. Yeah, every game matters but at the same time we're looking far into the future where we're playing for another two months. Hopefully it's just a little problem, not a big deal."
While Durant is impatient to get on the court, he said he will get all the treatment and ice needed for his injury.
"It's a bummer, man, I hate being out. I hate being hurt," Durant said. "It's something that's kind of out of my control right now, just try to get better. ... I'm positive about it. Up 2-0, going to Portland, the series starts Game 3. Can't wait."