PHOENIX -- The 2017 Western Conference finals were primed for a showdown between two 60-win teams, the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors, with a starry matchup pitting Kawhi Leonard against Kevin Durant.
Leonard sprained his ankle in the first half of Game 1, 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.