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NightlyPoe said:
Nuvendil said:

Let's not get carried away.  Let's not forget these Raptors nearly missed the finals because they kept forgetting how to play basketball in the second half of games. They do have deeper talent though.   I think the 2016 Cavs would beat them, if hard fought.  The 2017 Cavs would take them a lot more comfortably.  2015 was the growing pains year, that would have been a lot rougher.  The best Heat teams would definitely beat them.  Even if they put up a valiant effort.  They're better than people want to admit, but let's not forget the Warriors here, while still unquestionably very dangerous, are also very much hobbled by their injury woes.

Maybe I'm a bit biased, but I was never a big fan of those Cavs teams as a total team package.  Also, the Heat were challenged by Chicago and Indiana, so it's not difficult to imagine this Raptors team giving them a lot of trouble.

Anyway, Durant's injury does indeed seem to be his Achilles.  It's been something that's been speculated for awhile that it wasn't really a calf injury as he was icing lower than the calf in practice.  If he did tear it, that quarter he played last night might well put him on the shelf almost all next season and mark the end of his reign as a dominant player.  Best case scenario, unless your name happens to be Dominique Wilkins, is that it takes a couple of years to return to form and by then he'll be 33-34.  If I'm a GM, I don't think I'm betting my franchise on that (though I'm sure several would).

He's gotta stay with Golden State, right?  The whole idea of being his own man and carrying New York or whoever on his back with Kyrie would just be delusional.  Golden State is now the only place that makes sense for him.  They can give him the biggest contract and he can recover in his own time.  The whole idea that the Warriors don't need Durant has been shot the last couple weeks anyway.

Yeah, leaving is looking like a much less viable option.  On the other hand, moving somewhere where he isn't as crucial to the team strategy could ease the burden on him as well.  It will be interesting to see what he does.