© Kyle Terada | 2019 Jun 10
The Warriors snuck out of Toronto Monday night with a 106-105 victory over the Raptors, forcing a Game 6 at Oracle Arena. However, the victory was overshadowed by Kevin Durant’s Achilles injury. The post-game vibe was one of raw emotion throughout the entire basketball community, especially the Warriors organization.
Marcus Thompson of The Athletic joined the Murph & Mac show on KNBR Tuesday morning to discuss Game 5, along with the sights and sounds of the locker room and post-game press conferences.
One moment really stuck out to the longtime Warriors writer.
“Steph (Curry) getting choked up when he heard about KD. I was right there when he found out it was an Achilles,” Thompson said. “He was already talking about how he was getting emotional in the game when (the injury) happened and when he found out it was an Achilles; he just almost couldn’t take it.”
“He kind of had a moment to himself. So, there was nothing that came close to that, watching Steph really break down because of Kevin Durant’s injury.”
There is no denying that Durant has been an intricate piece to the Warriors’ history these past two seasons. Thompson detailed just what Durant has meant to the organization, to basketball itself, and even the Bay Area.
“When you compile the accolades he has during his career, especially during his three-year stint with the Warriors, you have to talk about the MVP, the two Finals MVPs, the championships.”
“But now you got to talk about a dude who went out there who probably knew he wasn’t ready and tore his Achilles because of it. Sacrifices like that in an age where players are more aware of their value than ever, and he put it on the line. I feel like what he did put him in a pantheon of Bay Area athletes…Hopefully he gets lionized for it.”
Bob Myers, President of Basketball Operations for the Warriors, was another member of the organization who was visibly affected from the superstar’s injury. Thompson went on to discuss what he took away from Myers’ raw post-game press conference.
“That was a little more emotion than I expected. He was kind of distraught up there…That was almost an ugly cry. It shows you they really care about that (KD).
“That is a clear sign how they feel about KD.”
Monday nights bittersweet victory sets up the possibility for a historic narrative as the Warriors fight to force a Game 7 in their last game at Oracle Arena on Thursday night.
Listen to the full interview below. To hear Thompson on the Warriors, start from the beginning.