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Some fortuitous news broke for the Golden State Warriors early Wednesday.

Turns out, Kevin Durant, their megastar small forward, didn't tear his ACL, or MCL, or any ligament in his hyperextended knee when he down Tuesday in a game against the Wizards. Instead, he sprained his MCL, suffered a bone contusion and will miss the final month of the regular season, before returning for the postseason.

That's great news for Durant, great news for the Golden State Warriors and great news for the NBA. Most importantly, it's great for the fans.

We don't need a playoff dramatically affected by injuries, although injury is certainly part of the game. This has been a season defined by anticipation of the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers meeting in the finals for a third consecutive year. We simply deserve another seven games of the two titans going at it.

That dream would have vanished, had Durant's MRI shown a major tear. When his teammate ZaZa Pachulia fell into Durant's leg against Washington, we all thought the worst. And that assumption was for good reason. The replays looked grotesque and reports soon surfaced that Durant's camp was bracing for bad news. Instead, Durant will be re-evaluated in four weeks. It's much better than what could have been.

With that, we now can ask this question: When has the league last seen its top two individual players square off against each other with the title on the line?

An argument can be made that we haven't seen that dynamic since the days of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. The 1992 finals featured Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler. LeBron James and Kevin Durant squared off in 2012, but while James was the top player in the NBA, Durant hadn't quite ascended to the second best player in the league.

Many attempted to crown Stephen Curry as the best player in the NBA last season, on the strength of one of the best individual campaigns in NBA history. In reality, he's not close to James as an all-around talent, as James emphatically proved in the 2016 finals, and he's really not all that close to Durant. The 2010 finals would have featured James against Kobe Bryant, but we were cheated of that experience when James and Cleveland lost to a young Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic.

These are all the reasons we deserve Cleveland and Golden State — with a healthy Durant. The two teams genuinely don't like each other, and they are morphing into the best rivalry since the Lakers and the Celtics in the 1980s. James against Durant only adds to that.

Think what you wish of Durant's decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency and mover to the Warriors. Durant's in his prime and his game is all grown up. He's having his finest all-around season as a lethal offensive weapon who has also grown into one of the best defenders in basketball. He's the only player in the league who can match what James brings to a game on both ends.

Speaking of James, he's still in his prime at age 32. He's having his best statistical season since 2012, and he's built a supporting cast around him that only Golden State can exceed.

James and Durant are without question the two best players in the league. And it would have been a gargantuan letdown had Durant been declared out for the season. So get healthy and stay healthy, Mr. Durant. Stay healthy, Mr. James. You guys are the matchup we all deserve. NBA Power Rankings

1. Golden State Warriors • Hadn't lost consecutive games in 146 tries. Lost to Washington and Chicago this past week.

2. San Antonio Spurs • NBA says Kawhi Leonard's game-winning shot vs. Indiana shouldn't have counted. He traveled.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers • Added Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut. Cavs clearly gearing up for another run at the title.

4. Houston Rockets • Obliterated the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday, sent the message that they're playoff ready.

5. Boston Celtics • Isaiah Thomas continues to be the best fourth quarter player in the NBA.

6. Los Angeles Clippers • Window is rapidly closing for the current core.

7. Utah Jazz • Suffered worst home loss of Quin Snyder era at the hands of…..Minnesota?

8. Washington Wizards • John Wall posted a career-high 19 assists in the win over Golden State.

9. Oklahoma City Thunder • Made 14 consecutive 3-pointers in win over the Jazz. Something like that hasn't been done since 1998.

10. Memphis Grizzlies • Along with the Spurs and Jazz, their scoring defense allows less than 100 points a game.

11. Toronto Raptors • Fighting with Atlanta to hold on to that fourth spot in the Eastern Conference.

12. Atlanta Hawks • Seems committed to holding on to Paul Millsap this summer in free agency.

13. Denver Nuggets • Finding Jokic in the second round could be one of the biggest NBA Draft coups in at least a decade.

14. Chicago Bulls • The saying "TNT Bulls" is really a thing. Chicago's won 18 straight at home when playing on TNT.

15. Indiana Pacers • Franchise seems at a dreaded crossroads: Not good enough to challenge for anything, not bad enough to improve via the draft.

16. Miami Heat • Seems like a matter of time before they pass the Detroit Pistons and take the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.

17. Detroit Pistons • Stan Van Gundy seems fed up with point guard Reggie Jackson. Has benched him several times recently.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves • Making a late run at a playoff spot; Is there enough time left?

19. Milwaukee Bucks • Signed Terrence Jones for the remainder of the season to make up for the loss of Jabari Parker.

20. Sacramento Kings • The chemistry without DeMarcus Cousins is better. But the play on the court is still lacking.

21. Portland Trail Blazers • Nurkic has quickly become the starting center after the team traded for him.

22. Charlotte Hornets • Lack of scoring depth has caused Hornets to fall out of playoff race.

23. Dallas Mavericks • Undrafted point guard Yogi Ferrell was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month.

24. New York Knicks • Parted ways with point guard Brandon Jennings; Ron Baker is now the backup point.

25. New Orleans Pelicans • Didn't take long for Boogie Cousins to pick up another technical foul, and another league suspension.

26. Philadelphia 76ers • Is this guy cursed or what? Joel Embiid out for the season — again — with a torn meniscus in his knee.

27. Orlando Magic • This is a franchise that really needs to find its way — and soon.

28. Phoenix Suns • Still showing a lot of fight as their youth movement gains traction..

29. Los Angeles Lakers • It's all about the lottery ball bounce. They keep their first round pick only if it lands in the top three.

30. Brooklyn Nets • Snapped a 14 game losing streak this week; also finally, got point guard Jeremy Lin back.