Golden State Warriors: Top 3 keys to victory in Game 5 of the NBA Finals

3. Kevin Durant

Let’s get things straight before we jump in any further, the Golden State Warriors don’t necessarily need Kevin Durant — at least not in the way that most people think.

The starting five of the Warriors actually matches up pretty well with that of the Raptors. In fact, you could even argue that the Warriors have a more talented starting lineup than Toronto — even sans Durant.

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But what seems to get overlooked in this entire conversation of “needing Durant” is that his return not only brings value to the starting lineup, but it gives the team some much-needed depth coming off the bench. A healthy Durant means that Andre Iguodala will shift to playing with a second unit that has really struggled in this series.

The Warriors are capable of winning this series without Durant, but given the near-flawless basketball that Toronto is playing on both ends of the court, they most certainly could use him.

Unfortunately, his status for Game 5 remains very much up in the air and there’s still a very good chance he ultimately doesn’t return in time for the game. And if that’s the case, we may very well have seen him take the field donning a Warriors jersey for the final time.

So honestly who really cares if the Warriors “need” Durant? Whether they need him or not, there’s no question that he would help the team out immensely in more ways than one.

It may be overstated at this point, but there’s no greater X-factor for the rest of the series, let alone Game 5, than the health of one Kevin Durant.