Draymond Green: Raptors 'Wouldn't Have Stood a Chance' Without Durant Injury

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said the Toronto Raptors "wouldn't have stood a chance" in the 2019 NBA Finals if Kevin Durant was healthy.

Green appeared Thursday on Showtime's All The Smoke with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson to discuss the Warriors' dynasty and said the first quarter in Game 5 of last year's Finals, which was Durant's only appearance in the series, was all the evidence he needed.

"Once we got Kevin, we were f--king unstoppable," Green said of the KD signing in 2016. "Even losing last year, Kevin don't get hurt—you seen the game he came back in Game 5, I looked up, it was like six minutes to go, we had like 40 points in the first quarter—and so they wouldn't have stood a chance if Kevin didn't get hurt."

Durant suffered a calf strain during the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets. After missing just over a month, and with the Dubs facing a 3-1 deficit in the Finals, he returned to the lineup.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP came out cooking with 11 points, two rebounds and a block in 12 minutes of action. He suffered a ruptured Achilles early in the second quarter.

Golden State held on to win Game 5 by a 106-105 score, but Toronto clinched the series and the franchise's first championship in Game 6.

Durant still hasn't made his Brooklyn Nets debut after leaving the Warriors during the offseason as he continues to recover from the Achilles injury.

Green hasn't always been complimentary of his former teammate during his recent media tour, which included a stop on Uninterrupted's WRTS: After Party show Monday (via ESPN's Nick Friedell). He referred to Durant's contract situation as the "elephant in the room" during that appearance: 

"So, for instance, Kevin took the one-year deal on his own. So that was kind of the elephant in the room. And although Steve [Kerr's] approach was like, 'Hey, guys, let's approach this year because we don't know what next year brings,' you've got Kevin's contract, you've got [Klay Thompson]'s contract, and I kind of got thrown in that contract thing, although I had another year after that year, which was this year. And so that was kind of the elephant in the room, and although Steve would kind of hit on it, [saying], 'Let's just enjoy this year for what it is because we don't know what next year holds,' it didn't necessarily carry the same weight because what should have happened was Kevin come out and say, 'Hey, man, this is it, so let's do this,' or, 'This isn't it.'"

Whether the Warriors would have steamrolled the Raptors with a healthy roster for the 2019 Finals is up for debate. Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry were all playing at a high level for Toronto, which also featured a strong group of reserves.

Durant's terrific play in his brief appearance during the series showcased the matchup problems the Dubs created on a nightly basis when he was on the floor with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, though.