PHOENIX -- The 2017 Western Conference finals were primed for a showdown between two 60-win teams, the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors, with a starry matchup pitting Kawhi Leonard against Kevin Durant.
Leonard sprained his ankle in the first half of Game 1 when landing on Warriors center Zaza Pachulia's foot, and the great clash was over before it started. (Golden State went on to win the NBA championship that season.)
Two years later, another potential classic between the superstar forwards was thwarted. Durant suffered a devastating torn Achilles tendon early in the only game he played in during the NBA Finals in 2019, when the Warriors were facing Leonard's Toronto Raptors, the eventual champions.
Is 2023 the year the game's fans finally get to witness this tantalizing duel?
Sunday's first-round Game 1 between the No. 4-seeded Phoenix Suns and the fifth-seeded LA Clippers hinted the answer might be yes. The seeds of an instant classic between the two future Hall of Famers, who have four Finals MVPs between them, were sown during an epic fourth quarter in the Clippers' 115-110 victory.