The Golden State Warriors had the best regular season ever during the 2015-16 season, finishing with a 73 and 9 record. However, they did not end up winning the NBA championship that season, losing out to the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in 7 games.
After their loss in the Finals, the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant in 2016 free agency. There was a lot of vitriol towards Durant’s decision, with many criticizing him for joining an already good team. However, Kevin Durant joining Stephen Curry resulted in two championships for the franchise, and two Finals MVPs for him. Championships aren’t guaranteed even with superteams, and it’s clear that Durant had a successful tenure with the team.
A recent article by Michael Lee of the Washington Post had some quotes from Draymond Green talking about Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant’s partnership on the Warriors. He claimed that people “didn’t appreciate it”, and that generally, greatness isn’t appreciated until it’s gone.
“Everybody criticized it. Everybody criticized Kevin. Everybody criticized us. They didn’t appreciate it. But people usually don’t appreciate greatness until they no longer have it. We appreciated it. And that’s all that matters.”
There is no question that Kevin Durant made the Warriors’ offense unstoppable, and it was only in 2019 where they finally lost in the Finals. While Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant both sacrificed to make things work on the Warriors, they are both superstars in their own right. In fact, Warriors coach Steve Kerr stated that the two are the best players in the game right now.
The Golden State Warriors and the Brooklyn Nets are both contenders as of right now, and many have stated their desire for that Finals matchup. It would certainly be interesting to see Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant square off. It remains to be seen if that will end up happening, but it is definitely a possibility.
