Top 5 NBA Finals series since 2010 whose outcome was impacted by injuries

#3 2014-15 Cleveland Cavaliers – Golden State Warriors

Kyrie Irving goes for a layup against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

In Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals, Kyrie Irving drove to his right on top of the key against Klay Thompson. Irving slipped and fell to his knees with 2:23 left in OT and the Warriors leading by four. He would stand up and go back to play defense but was soon hobbling his way into the locker room. A fractured kneecap ended Irving’s stint in that finals series.

Having lost Kevin Love earlier in the playoffs, the depleted Cavaliers had just no chance against the Warriors juggernaut. There is no certainty of a Cavaliers win with Irving fully healthy, but his injury obviously affected the outcome of that series.

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#2 2018-19 NBA Finals Toronto Raptors – Golden State Warriors

Kawhi Leonard leading the championship celebration after beating the Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals.

The 2019 NBA Finals saw Klay Thompson with a torn ACL that spelled the Golden State Warriors' doom. With 2:22 left on the clock in the third quarter of Game 6 and the Warriors leading 83-80, Thompson went for a dunk and went down in a heap upon landing. The Warriors survived the loss of Kevin Durant in Game 5, but would not be able to get past the Raptors without one of the Splash Brothers.

Thompson’s availability was not an assurance of a Warriors’ win, but it clearly hastened their downfall.

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#1 2018-19 Toronto Raptors – Golden State Warriors

Kevin Durant on the floor after rupturing his right Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the2019 NBA Finals.

Proper context has to be established to highlight how crucial was Kevin Durant’s injury leading to the finals and the NBA Finals itself. KD injured his calf in the semifinal against James Harden and the Houston Rockets. Minus Durant, the Warriors still clinched the second round against the Rockets.

The Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson Big 3 led the Warriors past the Blazers to the championship series while Durant watched from the bench.

Without KD, they fell to a 3-1 hole against Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors. Kevin Durant was scheduled to return for Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. He lasted only 12 minutes before rupturing his right Achilles tendon.

It’s not a guarantee that KD’s presence would be enough to bring the Warriors back from the brink of defeat as the right calf injury he sustained earlier in the playoffs could still be bothering him. However, a less than 100% Kevin Durant is better than no KD at all. The Warriors could have possibly bounced back and won the 2019 NBA Finals.