Kevin Durant’s injury proves the Warriors have given up on the No. 1 seed

As Kevin Durant prepares to miss the next two weeks with a rib fracture, one thing has become perfectly clear: the Golden State Warriors have given up on the No. 1 seed.

Sure, it’s still possible, even if it would take an unlikely and significant swoon from the Houston Rockets. But Durant’s two-week absence, Klay Thompson’s broken thumb, and Stephen Curry taking extra games off with an ankle sprain all point to one thing, that Golden State’s fine being No. 2 ... for the regular season, at least.

Durant’s cracked rib came last Sunday, the same game that Thompson suffered his injury. Durant still played Wednesday, though he did re-aggregate it, but it seems like he could suit up if this situation was more urgent. It’s not. For the same reason that Golden State had Curry meander through his rehab, Durant will take two weeks off, not even playing it game-by-game. If it hurts to laugh, well, yeah — this is probably for the best.

Houston could drop several games and still be fine. Their two-game lead in the loss column is amplified by their head-to-head tiebreaker over Golden State, meaning the Warriors would actually need to gain three games to supplant them in the standings. Golden State opponents have a terrible 44.9 winning percentage combined, the fourth easiest figure in the league, but Houston’s opponents combine for just a 48.6 win percentage through their final 14 matchups. Neither team has much to worry about on the schedule.

The Warriors are the league’s hegemon, and they treat themselves as such. Saying that they aren’t worried at all about Houston would be perfidy, but Golden State is still the favorite. Houston understands they need every possible advantage headed into a potential Western Conference Finals series, and that will give them a chance. But a team like the Warriors — with two of the last three championships, and two of the best three players in the league — understand that this is mostly about them. Play their best basketball, and we’re still not sure anyone can stop them.

If they make the Finals, home court would likely remain with the Warriors, too. The Toronto Raptors might surpass them, but trust me, Golden State isn’t worried about that. There’s no chance LeBron James would play a Game 7 anywhere but Oracle Arena, should he make it that far.

Let Durant rest. Wait for Thompson’s thumb to fully heal. Give more games off to Curry and Draymond Green, and let the veteran bench players wear suits here and there, too. Golden State will need to be healthy, ideally by the first round, when teams like San Antonio or Oklahoma City might be lurking. But they aren’t in a rush, and no one on Golden State is losing sleep that they likely won’t sit atop the Western Conference for the first time since 2015.