The 2019 NBA Finals will always be remembered for Kawhi Leonard\u2019s brilliance, but Serge Ibaka recently revealed just how terrifying Kevin Durant and his return for Game 5 felt from the Raptors\u2019 perspective.<\/p>\n
Ibaka recalled the moment he learned Durant would be back in the lineup with Golden State trailing 3\u20131.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Kevin, man. Come on.\u2019 That\u2019s the only time I already felt like I felt you know, I like to have the pressure,\u201d Ibaka said on the Hello and Welcome podcast<\/a>.. \u201cIt\u2019s good for myself, but that was not really pressure. It was like, \u2018Dang,\u2019 I didn\u2019t know what to think during that moment. That\u2019s Kevin D, man, Easy Money. He\u2019s a killer. When they told us Kevin is coming back, because we were scouting the game. In the morning we came and the coaches started talking and then they say, \u2018Okay, KD might play.\u2019 I was like, \u2018Oh, bro, come on.\u2019 Let me win at least one, I need that. When we heard that, my mind just went crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n Ibaka\u2019s fears weren\u2019t misplaced. Durant came out firing, drilling his first three shots, including two from deep, and looking like he hadn\u2019t missed a step despite sitting out nine straight games. The Warriors went on to edge Toronto 106\u2013105, forcing a Game 6.<\/p>\n But the comeback story ended in heartbreak. Just minutes into the second quarter, Durant\u2019s Achilles gave out. His season, and his Warriors career, was over.<\/p>\n Toronto went on to close out the series 4\u20132, but Ibaka\u2019s words underline just how much respect Durant commanded in that moment.<\/p>\n