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

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 07: DeMarcus Cousins #0 and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrate the play against the Toronto Raptors in the first half during Game Four of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 07, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 07: DeMarcus Cousins #0 and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrate the play against the Toronto Raptors in the first half during Game Four of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 07, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Golden State Warriors
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – MAY 08: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors reacts before taking the ball out of bounds against the Houston Rockets during Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on May 08, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. NBA Finals (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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.

Next. Stephen Curry is Superman, but he can’t save the Golden State Warriors alone. dark

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.