Kevin Durant Out for Entire Western Conference Finals

This is a tough blow for the Golden State Warriors. General manager Bob Myers said Kevin Durant, who has not played since Game 5 of the defending champs' second-round series against the Houston Rockets, will miss the remainder of the Western Conference Finals with a calf strain.

Initially, Durant was supposed to miss just Games 3 and 4 of the Portland series, but since the calf strain is more serious than the Warriors thought, they decided to hold him out. Yes, this is bad news, but as they're up 2-0 against the overmatched Trail Blazers, it softens the blow.

The Warriors are better with Durant. Anyone would be. But they're still an incredible team without him. Don't forget, this core has remained more or less the same from the 2015 Warriors team that won the championship, and the 2016 team that went 73-9 did their thing while KD was still in Oklahoma City. The offense seems to flow more now that the ball is moving frequently, and it's not a stretch to say that the Warriors can win a title without Durant. They honestly might have to, as a serious calf strain can take a month or more to heal up.

At this point, it's worth wondering if we've seen Durant's last game with the Warriors. At the same time, if this team can win another title without his help down the stretch, it may just be their greatest accomplishment yet.