The Golden State Warriors signing Kevin Durant back in 2016 was a huge move for the Dubs, who landed the hottest free agent that year, and the rest of the NBA saw the 73-9 Warriors get stronger.
JR Smith recently discussed how people felt about that move, revealing that everybody was ‘playing for second place.’
“I think the whole league did. People thought it was going to be bad when CP (Chris Paul) went to the Lakers with Kobe (Bryant) and Pau (Gasol). When that happened, everybody was pretty much playing for second [place]. Don’t get me wrong, in the heat of the battle, we’re thinking, we have a chance, and we can win, but at the same time, it’s like, “What the hell are we supposed to do?” You’ve got three Hall of Famers, legit. What are you going to do?”
Adding Kevin Durant to their already incredible team was a master move by the Warriors, who would go on to win two NBA championships with the 2014 NBA MVP in three trips to the Finals.
Even though that partnership ended after KD suffered a season-ending injury in the 2019 NBA Finals, they had a great run together, becoming the villains of the league and enjoying every part of the process.
Smith faced KD in the Finals in 2017 and 2018, first losing 4-1 and then getting swept after he made a costly mistake in the final seconds of Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals.
JR Smith Opens Up On Huge Pressure Of Playing Alongside LeBron James
Just like he faced big legends, Smith also played with them, and during those trips to the Finals, he teamed up with LeBron James. JR recently talked about the pressure of sharing the court with the King and how things can be different when you miss a shot compared to LeBron missing.
JR has always been an entertaining player, and even though he’s no longer in the league, he remains relevant in the association. He had to live some of the moments that defined the NBA in the 2010s, and he’s not shy to share some details about his duels against great players like Kevin Durant.
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