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Raptors fans called out for cheering Kevin Durant's injury

Stan Temming

Toronto Raptors fans within the walls of Scotiabank Arena didn’t show their best side after watching Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant hit the deck early in the second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.

Having missed the first four games of the championship series, Durant was making his presence felt in the early stages of his debut. He had 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting in just 12 minutes before appearing to reaggravate the calf injury that he sustained during Golden State’s second-round clash with the Houston Rockets.

Once Toronto fans saw the four-time scoring champ and two-time Finals MVP lying on the floor, they began to cheer.

The volume of the fans only got louder as they watched Durant limp off of the floor.

Realizing what was going on, many of the Raptors in the game at the time — led by Kyle Lowry — motioned to the fans to stop and could be seen checking in on Durant. Eventually, those in attendance changed their tune as they began to chant ‘KD’.

However, the damage had been done and Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, whose team was knocked out of the postseason by Toronto in the second round, wasn’t having any of it.

Embiid wasn’t alone, though.

J.J. Watt, a five-time Pro Bowl defensive end for the Houston Texans, wasn’t too pleased with the crowd’s conduct either.

Robert Griffin III, an NFL quarterback that has had plenty of injury troubles himself over his career, echoed a similar sentiment.

While this may have been the biggest game in Raptors history, and there’s no doubt that Durant’s absence makes the path to a championship easier, the competitive juices of the moment can’t drown out people’s class.

That’s just not very Canadian.

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