Charles Barkley Blames Warriors for Kevin Durant's Injury
Former NBA star Charles Barkley put blame on the Warriors for Kevin Durant's apparent Achilles injury which the superstar forward suffered in the second quarter of the Warriors' Game 5 win over the Raptors, saying that the team should not have put Durant on the floor as soon as they did.
"I blame the Warriors for KD getting hurt and I don't care what they say about it," Barkley said during an appearance on ESPN's Get Up. "They shouldn't have put that man out there."
Barkley added that even if Durant wanted to play, you can't leave that kind of a decision up to the player.
The 2017 and 2018 Finals MVP was declared out for the rest of the contest after he entered Golden State's locker room. Durant left Scotiabank Arena in the third quarter while on crutches and is expected to undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
Golden State's president of basketball operations Bob Myers said while the decision to play Durant in Monday night's clash was collaborative, "If you have to, you can blame me."
NBA stars from all throughout the league showed their support for Durant, who will become a free agent this summer. Even the Raptors biggest fan, Drake, was worried about Durant's health over everything else. Warriors stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson said they rallied against Toronto to force a Game 6 "for Kevin."
Golden State will try to go for a Game 7 on Thursday night, facing the Raptors at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Tip-off is slated for 9 p.m. ET.