The Golden State Warriors will attempt to keep their dreams of a three-peat alive on Thursday night when they host the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Golden State is down in the series, 3-2, but the hope is that the final game in the history of Oracle Arena will give them enough of a boost to force a Game 7.
The biggest issue, beyond the fact that the Raptors are very good, is that the Warriors won’t have Kevin Durant in the lineup. Durant ruptured his achilles in his return to action during Game 5 after missing a month with a calf issue. Still, even while Durant is presumably recovering in New York from surgery, Golden State is making sure his presence is felt on Thursday night.
According to Marc Spears of ESPN, the team is handing out “For Oakland” towels to fans that place an emphasis on the letters K and D.
Passed out at @OracleArena tonight also saluting @KDTrey5 pic.twitter.com/CegdgbRUpT
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) June 13, 2019
Additionally, one of Durant’s closest friends on the team, Quinn Cook, wore his shirt while he warmed up.
Quinn reppin’ KD 👊 pic.twitter.com/UiMPob0DLe
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 13, 2019
Between all of this and Klay Thompson’s plea for Warriors fans to bring a little extra juice in honor of the two-time Finals MVP, it’s safe to assume that Durant’s presence will be felt by everyone at Oracle Arena on Thursday.