When news of Kevin Durant’s initial knee injury first released, the Houston Rockets made the injury out to be a relatively minor thing. In fact, we didn’t even hear about the injury until Friday – one day before Game 1 of the Rockets’ series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Rockets coach Ime Udoka stated that he believed the injury would just be a one-day type of thing. Durant was given a questionable tag heading into the game.
He ultimately warmed up and did a shootaround, realizing he didn’t quite
have the mobility to give it a go. Durant played in Game 2, scoring 23 points (20 in the first half) but suffered an additional injury, this time to his ankle. Which meant we’d have to go through the same uncertainty all over again, regarding Game 3. Durant was ultimately a scratch. He didn’t even sit with the team during the game, because he was getting treatment on the underwater treadmill (according to Rockets coach Ime Udoka).
Durant received around the clock treatment on the injured ankle but still missed Game 4. People have been coming out in droves to question the severity of Durant’s injury. Others have questioned whether Durant is injured at all.
Both factions look incredibly foolish, for a multitude of reasons. For starters, you can never question someone’s injury. It’s their body. They would know what they are feeling better than outsiders.
Especially in a situation in which team trainers are leaving it up to the athlete. But also, what reason would Durant have to mail it in? If he was going to do that, why play 78 games – his most in nearly a decade? Why pace the league in minutes in his 19th official season?
(Durant finished second in total minutes and third in minutes per game). If Durant was going to mail it in, it would seem like he would’ve done that much earlier in the season and load managed more. Durant was well ahead of the league’s 65-game participation mandate.
He could have (and would have) rested then, if that was his goal.
Furthermore, why play in Game 2 at all? Even more, why come to the Rockets in the first place, if he was going to fake an injury during the playoffs?
Again, it’s illogical to think Durant is faking an injury. Especially if you saw the play and saw his ankle turn so significantly that it touched the hardwood. I’d imagine it’s probably difficult to walk, based on how bad that looked.
Perhaps people just need something to talk about. But even then, there are a litany of other storylines to hit on. This one just seems silly.
