Serge Ibaka is an NBA champion today, but his former teammate Kevin Durant gave him the scare of his life before he won it all. Ibaka appeared on the latest episode of the Hello and Welcome podcast, where he was asked about that famous Game 5 between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals.
“I didn’t tell no one because I didn’t want to get my teammate panicked,” Ibaka said. “But when we heard in the morning [that] KD is coming back, I was like, ‘Man [facepalms], come on, bro.’… I was supposed to win minimum in Oklahoma, minimum at least two. At least two. I didn’t have a chance. It didn’t happen, right?
“And then I was like, ‘Bro, now I’m here in Toronto. I’m close to win my first ring. And you was out, bro. Stay out, bro. I’m like, Kevin, man. Come on,'” Ibaka continued. “… I like to have pressure, it’s good for myself, but that was not really pressure. I was like, man, I didn’t know what to think during that time, during that moment.”
Durant had suffered a calf strain in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets. The Warriors made it to the Finals despite his absence, but went down 3-1 to Ibaka’s Raptors.
With the Warriors’ season on the line, Durant returned for Game 5, and Ibaka was understandably worried. These two had played together on the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2009 to 2016. Ibaka knew just how good Durant was and realized that he could turn the tide.
“He’s a killer,” Ibaka said. “… So, in the morning we came and coaches start talking and then they say, ‘Okay, we have to work on this, this, because KD might play. I was like ‘Oh bro, come on, let me [get] this win at least one.’ I need that. Before that, he already had two ring already.”
Ibaka stated that even if Durant was on one leg, he would help his teammates by drawing attention to him. He was going to make matters difficult for the Raptors.
Durant would get off to a hot start in Game 5, too, scoring 11 points (3-5 FG) in just under 12 minutes. Alarm bells were starting to ring in Toronto, but then disaster struck.
Durant attempted to drive past Ibaka early in the second quarter and ended up tearing his Achilles tendon on the play. It was a devastating blow for him and the Warriors. Durant even thought at that moment that his basketball career might be over. The Raptors weren’t able to capitalize on the injury, though, as they would lose 106-105.
The Warriors still had some life, but the Raptors won Game 6 114-110 to clinch their first NBA title. It was Ibaka’s first title, too, and he finished the Finals with averages of 11.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game.
The Raptors suffered a big blow not long after winning that title, though, as superstar forward Kawhi Leonard left for the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency. Ibaka hilariously admitted during this episode that he still isn’t quite over Leonard’s departure.
The Warriors would suffer a blow of their own, too, as Durant left for the Brooklyn Nets that summer. There was some concern regarding how well he’d play once he returned, considering the nature of the injury, but those were dispelled soon after he stepped out on the court for the first time.
That remarkable recovery led to Durant becoming the NBA’s “Achilles guy.” He is the one whom everyone seems to reach out to after they suffer that injury. There is probably no one better at providing guidance in that situation than Durant.
