The Warriors "desperately need" Kevin Durant back if they are to three-peat, according to Klay Thompson.
A calf injury meant Durant was absent Friday when the Warriors defeated the Rockets 118-113 on the road in Game 6 to advance to a fifth straight Western Conference finals.
The Warriors are due to host either the Nuggets or the Trail Blazers at Oracle Arena in the first game of that series on Tuesday, with coach Steve Kerr stating Friday that Durant would be assessed again "in a week."
And though they beat the Rockets without him, Thompson stressed Durant will be vital if the back-to-back defending champions are to follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan's Bulls and Kobe Bryant's Lakers and three-peat.
"Like Steve Kerr said, we didn't have the ultimate luxury tonight – a guy who can go out there and get you 40 (points) on a whim," Thompson told reporters.
Thompson scored 27 points – 21 in the first half when all-world teammate Stephen Curry was held scoreless. None of Thompson's baskets was bigger than his 3-pointer with 2 seconds left on the shot clock that gave Golden State a 110-104 lead with 36.1 seconds to play.
"We had to play a little more diligent with the ball," Thompson said. "We had to be more crisp with our passes and the room for error was a lot less compared to when Kevin's out there.
"I'm happy we won so we can get some rest and get him healthy because if we're going to get this three-peat we desperately need him back, he's our best player.
"We dearly miss him. We'll hold it down while he's out, but it's not the same without him, far from it."
Speaking about Durant's injury prior to Game 6, Kerr had said it looked "good for his return in the not-too-distant future."
However, with three games of the Western Conference finals taking place next week – on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday – two-time NBA Finals MVP Durant may only become involved later in the series.
"We're going to reevaluate him, I think, in a week," Kerr said after the win on Friday. "And we'll see. There's really no way of making any predictions right now. It's an injury that requires an update every few days. As of now, we don't have any updates."
Given the Game 6 victory over the Rockets came without Durant and DeMarcus Cousins, another multiple All-Star sidelined by injury, Kerr was quick to stress the value of the win.
"It's one of the most satisfying victories we've had during this run," Kerr said.