As a 13x All-Star, 10x All-NBA player, and 2x Finals MVP, Kevin Durant is already one of the greatest players basketball has ever seen. Unfortunately, his legacy has become a matter of debate in the NBA community, thanks to his failure to win a ring outside of Golden State.
Recently, Durant spoke on his legacy and fired back against those who questioned his accomplishments. Later, Brian Windhorst defended Durant and set the record straight on his run with the Warriors and the misconceptions about his career.
“Anyone who tries to say his championships are somewhat not whole, is bulls**t because I’m telling you, the 2017 championship when they beat the Cavs 4-1, that Cavs team was awesome,” said Windhorst. “That team went 12-1 through the East playoffs. LeBron was at the peak of his powers, Kyrie Irving was awesome, they had gone out and gotten shooters around that team. That team was great. I would say 80, 90 percent in the history of the game that team wins. The reason that was 4-1 is because Kevin Durant was a KILLER. You can say that if Durant wasn’t on that team the Warriors might have still been able to beat the Cavs, maybe it would have gone 7, but it went 4-1 and it was a party because Durant was a killer. Anybody who says Durant isn’t a bona fide champion isn’t giving him credit for how important that 2017 championship was.”
Brian Windhorst with a LEGENDARY rant about @KDTrey5
“The reason they won [the 2017 Finals] 4-1 is because Kevin Durant is a KILLER.”
Calls him a bonafide champion. Huge W.
— LEEZUS (@AndrewLeezus) March 31, 2023
The Warriors were obviously stacked when they had Durant, but there is no question that he was the best player in those three seasons, and his presence no doubt played a strong role in the team’s historically dominant postseason run.
Why Did Durant Leave The Warriors?
With so much having gone right for Durant and the Dubs, it’s still somewhat of a mystery why he decided to leave after the 2019 Finals.
Obviously, we can assume Kyrie Irving was part of his reasoning, but it seems the altercation with Draymond Green also played a huge role.
“That moment was probably the one where it’s clear that it isn’t a foregone conclusion that he’ll be back next year,” said Steph Curry on Durant’s departure.
Looking back, KD likely has no regrets about leaving the Warriors behind, but it’s going to be hard for him to replicate the same success he had with Steph and the crew. It doesn’t mean, however, we should forget how curricula he was in lifting the Warriors to the height of their potential.
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