The stereotype that all Canadians are friendly, was put to the test in Toronto last night during Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The Canadians failed the test.
Golden State star forward Kevin Durant was making his first start in weeks after suffering a right calf-strain in the Western Conference semifinal series against the Houston Rockets. However, after less than 15 minutes of play, Durant collapsed on the floor after apparently suffering a massive leg injury. Despite the serious nature of Durant’s injury, the crowd in Toronto cheered when the All-Star went down.
According to the New York Post:
The fans initially cheered when Durant was down and got up limping, but that quickly turned to polite applause at the gutty effort to try it. Raptors star Kyle Lowry helped get the Raptors fans to stop their cheering and the crowd erupted into a “KD” chant. Durant was helped off the court by Andre Iguodala, Stephen Curry and a Warriors trainer and into the locker room. Warriors coach Steve Kerr revealed before the game the initial diagnoses on some calf strains is two months, so conceivably Durant came back too early.
The Warriors went on to win the game, 106-105. Game 6 of the best-of-seven series will take place Thursday night at Golden State.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn