Is it any surprise that when Kevin Durant left the floor with a right calf strain that the Splash Brothers assumed their previous roles from a championship team which then went on to win 73 regular season games in a season without Kevin Durant the next season?
For me…no.
These dudes have championship DNA. So do Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala as well. They know how to win. They taught Kevin Durant how to win when it really matters because Sam Presti couldn’t ever figure things out in Oklahoma City. As in… you friggin need a shooting guard who can shoot to win championships in the NBA. Even back before Moneyball and the analytics craze… guys like Red Auerbach and Jack Ramsey pretty much had this figured out. The only person in the NBA who can’t seem to come to terms with this flash of genius realization is the GM in Oklahoma City.
What a great game last night at Oracle. It had everything from a human emotion standpoint. It had Durant leaving the playoffs for who knows how long. It had James Harden not shooting the ball in the game’s most impactful moments. It had both Klay and Steph flexing their Hall of Fame championship biceps to all of those who think Kevin Durant is the engine which solely drives this historic team.
It had Draymond Green showing what he can do when it’s Big Boy time in the post season.
And it also had Steve Kerr outcoaching Mike D’Antoni in Game 5.
One would surely think the Rockets will win in Houston on Friday whether Durant plays or not.
So assume Durant doesn’t play in Game 7 at Oracle. Who would you take in that situation? I’d take the four dudes with championship DNA and home court named Steph, Klay, Draymond and Andre.
I wish they didn’t even have to play Game 6. I can’t wait for Game 7. All the sudden these NBA Playoffs just became a very compelling watch.
Great presser. Good questions and to the point answers. None of that fourth grade level bullshit Russell Westbrook does with certain members of the press. So look at these two guys and how they handle themselves in this setting and then visualize how Russell Westbrook handles himself in these settings. I know it’s hard because lifetime without Durant he’s 4-12 in post season–but look at the stark difference in how champions carry themselves and those who can’t win when it matters handle themselves.
Former Daily Oklahoman Thunder beat writer Anthony Slater made the best decision for his career when he headed back home to the west coast to be a Warrior beat writer in San Jose and now for The Athletic. If Royce Young were smart he’d push the buttons to make this happen for him in Denver.