2019 Western Conference Finals: Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers preview

Key Question No. 1: What will be the ripple effects of KD’s injury?

Late in the third quarter of Game 5 against Houston, Kevin Durant suffered a non-contact injury after landing awkwardly. Many assumed the worst. Thankfully, it was diagnosed only as a right calf strain.

Still, the reigning two-time Finals MVP has been ruled out for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals and isn’t likely to suit up for Game 2. His timeline is unclear, creating an intriguing set of circumstances for this Warriors squad.

Though Durant is clearly an all-time great player, Golden State doesn’t exactly ride-or-die on his level of play. In fact, the Dubs have gone a surprising 28-10 without KD in almost three seasons. There is even an argument to be made they are better when he sits, reverting more to the version of themselves that won a record 73 games in 2015-16 led by their original Big 3.

There’s a certain level of freedom they play with in Durant’s absence, forged through the chemistry developed before he joined in the summer of 2016. Without him, the Warriors will have the chance to get back to that style of play. In Game 6 of the Houston series, they registered 325 passes — almost 24 more than their average this postseason.

Golden State never fully abandoned its pass-first offense, but its come to include more isolation sets to accommodate one of the greatest scorers of all time. Steph Curry still manages to produce, but the momentum of his makes just isn’t the same.

The Warriors are at their best when the ball moves. With an extra 21.6 shots per game to go around, they can get back to the seemingly unstoppable brand of basketball that kicked off this dynasty almost five seasons ago.