The NBA Finals start on Thursday and will see the two-straight defending champion Golden State Warriors take on the first-time finalists, the Toronto Raptors. While the Raptors are fairly healthy heading into the series, the Warriors have some holes in their lineup as Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins have been out with injuries. Cousins injured his left quad in the second game of the playoffs, while Durant injured his right calf in Game 5 of the second round against the Houston Rockets.
Today, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr offered an update on Durant, saying that he won't be able to play in Game 1. Kerr also explained that the team still hasn't decided whether or not Durant will make the trip to Toronto. Durant hasn't been cleared for on-court activities with his teammates so it will still be a while before Durant gets to play in a game. As for Cousins, Kerr said he is making progress and is actually questionable for Game 1.
It's been theorized that Durant won't come back at all for the Finals unless the Warriors start to struggle without him. The Warriors swept the Western Conference Finals without Durant in the lineup which led to plenty of questions regarding the two-time Finals MVP's role on the team.