#KD's legacy was on the line but... steph's was too

[unmanageably]

whats the tea on kd leaving the warriors? i was a casual fan at the time it happened so i don't know the situation

well... let me be brief (1/278)

lmao jk but.... well a lot! and most of it is speculation, etcetc ofc we'll never truly know until 20 years later when the last dance-esque documentary comes out about the warriors in the steph curry era lmao-- but the story goes like this:

kevin durant was the superstar of okc thunder and was steadily building up the franchise over the years to become serious contenders for a championship. they were always close, but had never quite made it. but with a good FO/org behind him, westbrook by his side, they were always really close— but again, as we all know, it was never enough (made the finals in 2012. lost. would make the playoffs but always got defeated). in 2016, they once again get really close at the western conference finals where they led the series 3-1 against the warriors. despite that they lose. a mere month later, he joins the warriors: a team that's obviously at the beginning of a dynasty— they won a championship in 2015 and made it into the finals in 2016. but more importantly, the team that beat kevin durant and okc thunder at the conference finals.

there were layers to this "betrayal" and to this day people still think this one decision "ruined the sport" (lol). people saw it as a betrayal on KD's part and it took an incredible hit to his reputation. you almost make it to the finals, you have an incredible teammate in westbrook by your side, an org that supports you and is willing to uplift you to your highest star potential, and you leave? to join the team that BEAT you? to the team that has steph curry, klay thompson, draymond green, andre iguodala?

already a hugely successful team without KD, but with him, it was undeniable. a superteam. yeah, a lot of team has duos or trios. lebron and kyrie, lebron and dwade, harden and cp3, etcetc. but this team was different levels. a whole team full. the team was 73-9 without KD. massively talented already. but now? steph, KD, klay as offensive threats. draymond and andre as defensive threats. insanely good roleplayers like shaun livingston.

everyone was livid. not just OKC fans. everyone in the league! the warriors, and KD's name specifically was tarnished. how disrespectful for the warriors to even think about creating a team like this. how disrespectful for KD to leave an org that's done so much for him. sports media was tearing into them, fans were tearing into them, they were quite literally, the most hated north american sports team. fans were burning jerseys, making videos threatening KD, etc.

we all know how KD with the warriors went. winning fixes all, right? arguably the most dominant team in nba history (2017 warriors vs 1996 bulls a common debate to this day), the warriors absolutely dominated the nba, and went on to win the 2017 and 2018 championships. KD finally gets his two rings and a FMVP. and the warriors still stay the most hated team in the league. you either loved the warriors or hated them! no in between. the narrative is that KD's rings were called into question because he "had a superteam" so they weren't "valid".

2018-2019 is when it all kinda starts falling apart. the warriors are plagued with injuries, and it's just clear they don't have the synergy and chemistry that they did before. it was most clear during a game against the clippers where draymond and kd visibly fought after a bad play at the end where draymond refused to pass to kd. draymond had allegedly yelled at kd and told him to just leave the warriors, and that they didn't need him (kd's contract was up that year as well). KD has said in later years that that argument was kind of like the ~last straw for him and the nail in the coffin for him leaving. he had already been having feelings of being "the odd man out"— though they were winning together and had good synergy on court, the core3 plus the other players were already a tight knit family long before he had arrived. after the incident with draymond, the team never really sat down and talked about it: just brushed it under the rug (dray was suspended for one game but nothing was talked about). KD felt like it was a slap in the face, all this stuff about how gsw is known for good team chemistry and good culture but they just wanted to brush that very public incident under the rug? after that he started playing more selfishly— less like how they would play as a team and more in isolation. KD gets injured during the finals, and as we know, klay gets injured as well: we lose the finals. we don't get the sought after three-peat. KD signs with the brooklyn nets and the rest is history.

i talked a lot about the beginning of KD signing on to the warriors because i feel like that was really the root of why he left. he became one of the most hated players in north american sports. his own fans tore into him. sports media all tore into him. calling him mentally weak, pathetic, etc. and does winning fix all? i feel like KD with the warriors was proof that... it doesn't. KD gets two rings that he basically sold his soul to the devil for AND two FMVPs and people still don't respect him. on top of that he wins it with the warriors: which has always been and will always be Steph Curry's Team. yeah he was integral to those wins, but you can't compete with how steph has built the dynasty, yk? what steph has given to the warriors.

so at the end of the day, the story goes like this: KD "betrays" okc by going to the team who beat him in the conference finals, creates the first real "superteam" in the nba (the superteam discourse is a whole other thing smh like teams aren't trying to do that now but i digress). the whole sports world is going in on him, he's basically sold his soul for these rings. he gets his rings, he gets his FMVP. but his legacy and reputation is still called into question: he's integral but still won his rings and his FMVPs on STEPH CURRYs team, not his. Steph's. on top of all the outside noise, internally he's not happy either. he doesn't feel protected within the team. he has beef with draymond, and steph/klay + the franchise will clearly always have their loyalty to draymond. he doesn't buy into the team culture anymore, and he feels like the odd one out. the only thing that could make him stay would be to keep winning more rings. but the two rings he has didn't fix anything. so why stay? what does he have going for him?

(he goes on to bounce between different teams, tries to build his own superteams but never comes as close as he did. meanwhile steph klay and draymond go through a tough two years, considerably the lowest two years in the steph/core3 era, and come out on top: they win the '22 finals, against a celtics team that had an 84% chance of winning the finals. they save their dynasty, their legacy. steph proves that he won a chip BEFORE KD, during KD, and AFTER KD as well.)

[junker-town]

The Warriors’ success could break them up. Sort of. Maybe

Why the Warriors dominating the NBA again may actually hasten their inevitable end.

The better the Golden State Warriors are this season, the more likely they’ll fall apart later on. That may seem counterintuitive, but this isn’t a normal team. There’s a real case to be made that an easy ride through the league in 2018-19 could mean the end of these Warriors as we know them.

Of course, it’s all relative. Stephen Curry isn’t going anywhere, and Draymond Green is under contract through 2019-20. A team with Steph Curry and Draymond Green is still incredible; the Warriors could lose their other three All-Stars and remain a contender. So long as Curry is around and at the peak of his powers, the Warriors will be good.

Odds are that Klay Thompson will stick around, too. His father told the San Francisco Chronicle recently that he expects Thompson to re-sign next summer and retire a Warrior, eventually. The only theoretical Klay exit that makes any sense is something to do with Warriors ownership crying uncle over the luxury tax. But if the luxury tax becomes too painful to keep Thompson, that means that either Kevin Durant or DeMarcus Cousins — or both — are sticking around. Losing Thompson but keeping Durant with Curry and Green wouldn’t be a death blow to the Warriors. Curry and Durant might be the best NBA duo ever.

But when considering the fates of Durant and Cousins, the cost of Golden State’s success in 2018-19 shows itself. Winning too easily may actually make it harder to keep both.

What KD might actually want

We have no idea whether Durant will decide to move on from the Warriors in the 2019 offseason. There are hardly even flimsy rumors to that effect. It’s all conjecture.

But then again, it was all conjecture in 2016 when we wondered whether he’d really leave the Thunder. He did. As such, it seems fair to wonder whether he’ll leave the Warriors under different circumstances for the same reason.

That reason: legacy. Durant left the Thunder for the Warriors to win championships and grow his legacy as a player. Mission accomplished on the former, especially if Golden State wins another title (as they are heavily favored to do) in 2018-19. The circumstances are different: in OKC, he couldn’t get over the hump, and in Golden State, he and the Warriors have almost made it look easy.

But as I wrote on Friday, the path to getting Durant to leave the competitive comforts of Golden State is to convince him his legacy will suffer for staying. He’ll have his rings (as many as LeBron, even!) and at least two Finals MVPs. He is no longer at risk of going down as the greatest player to never win a title. With that done, he can work on his broader reputation and ensure he is remembered not for his 2016 decision to join a superpower, but for his excellence as a basketball player.

Here’s the rub: getting Durant to that place requires the Warriors showing little weakness this season. It has to be easy for this issue to really resonate inside of Durant’s brain. If it’s hard, if the Warriors come close to losing or (gasp) actually lose, then the question becomes moot.

The clearest path to Durant leaving the Warriors requires the Warriors to win another title easily.

Put another way, should the Warriors win easily, that could help push Durant out.

The rehab project

All indications suggest that Cousins’ stay in Oakland will be short-lived.

Given that the Warriors’ success to this point (three titles in four years, one of the greatest runs ever) hasn’t needed any bit of Cousins, his contribution this season should not be integral. He isn’t even expected to debut for months because of his injury rehab. He has zero minutes of playoff experience, which will make his first appearance in the first round really ... odd.

The bottom line: if he shows he can play like an NBA All-Star despite the injury, some team not named the Warriors will give him a max contract in July, 2019. If for some reason it all goes wrong and he can’t play or can’t play well, or the Warriors fall just short, perhaps there’s an absolute longshot chance that Cousins and Golden State team up for a second season to make it right.

But if things go right? Boogie will be getting paid, and not by the Warriors.

It’s all quite clear: success will lead to Cousins’ exit.

Again, this isn’t a huge deal: Cousins hasn’t been around for the successes to this point. But as so many fans and analysts fret about what Golden State hegemony hath wrought, keep in mind that ultimate victory for the Warriors means a Boogie exit ... possibly to a top rival like the Lakers.

(Keep in mind that LeBron James has long been vocal in admiration for Cousins’ game, and keep in mind that the Lakers will have cap space galore in 2019.)

The vault

No one suggests that the franchise owners of the Warriors will break up the team due to luxury tax concerns. But their resolve not to do so will be tested in 2019.

Why? Because the Warriors will face the repeater tax for the first time ever in 2019-20. The repeater tax, as I recently explained, makes it much, much more costly for franchises to exceed the luxury tax threshold year after year.

Keeping the core four plus Andre Iguodala and enough players to fill out the roster could cost the Warriors more than $100 million just in luxury tax. That number could be even higher if Durant and Thompson don’t take steep discounts. (Durant has shown a willingness to take discounts in Golden State, for the record.)

We don’t have strong evidence that the Warriors’ wealthy partners will wince at a huge payroll, and the team will be opening up the Chase Center in San Francisco in 2019-20. But you can’t know how the franchise will react until we get there. Other franchises have absorbed massive tax bills for a year or two; no one has tangled with the repeater tax over multiple years before rosters broke up for one reason or another.

The cost of keeping four All-Stars at market-rate contracts may be too steep when the Warriors could probably win titles with just three of them.

Of course, that’s only sound logic if the Warriors actually win it all again this season. Again, their success could ease into their partial dissolution.

This is natural in the NBA — the six-time champion Chicago Bulls broke up, after all, and for no particularly good reason. Nothing gold can stay, not even Golden State.

But we don’t know whether the end is near or far. Ironically, it could be nearer if the Warriors win a third straight championship in 2018.

[flauntpage]

From Cavs in Six to Yankees in Four, Here Are VICE's NBA Finals Picks

Everybody loves making predictions. It's the best way to prove to your friends, neighbors, and loved ones, how much you know about something. Instead of just limiting the fun to the VICE Sports staff, we asked people from across the VICE network—including some really important people—who they thought would win the NBA Finals and why. What you will read will either impress you, or make you worry about the future of this media company.

Michael Pina, staff writer, VICE Sports: Cavaliers in 7. There are roughly one trillion compelling factors that can influence anyone's prediction in these Finals, but so long as LeBron James is averaging 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists with an ungodly True Shooting percentage, betting against him doesn't feel like a smart thing to do. (Also, Draymond Green will turn into an icicle.)

Caitlin Kelly, managing editor, VICE Sports: Warriors in 6. I'm going to say Warriors in six, because "Defense Wins Championships," and the Cavs defense sucks. If the correct truism turns out to be "LeBron James Wins Championships, Actually," I will be neither surprised nor very upset. I am very proud to send in the most boring answer out of the entire staff, please include that in the roundup.

Jorge Arangure, editor-in-chief, VICE Sports : Warriors in 6. As much as I'd like to pick Cleveland in this series, I can't see the Cavs' defense being able to stop the Warriors. Plus Klay is probably due for a big series, and Cleveland's slow help defense should give him a lot of open shots.

Mike Piellucci, staff writer, VICE Sports: Warriors in 6. I'm not on the bandwagon that thinks this can be done in a relatively simple five games, but Golden State has too much firepower and too much JaVale to lose the rubber match.

Sean Newell, staff writer, VICE Sports: Yankees in 4. Honestly, I don't see how anyone stops Aaron Judge, who is my MVP for the series. Judge is also my dark horse pick for MVP.

David Roth, staff writer, VICE Sports: I think the Warriors will win in six games, unless they win it in five or seven, or unless the Cavaliers win it in some other number of games. One of the secondary bummers of the playoffs having been so lame to this point is that, while I believe that both these teams are significantly better than they were last year, I don't really have a sense of how much or how that will play out in the series. I honestly don't know how any team ever beats the Warriors, let alone four times out of seven, and watching them has done nothing to help me figure that out. But I felt that way last year, too. My point is that I do not know, and my other point is that, after all these weeks of inevitability, I am really enjoying that feeling a lot.

Liam Pierce, weekend editor, VICE Sports: Warriors in 6. Sure, I may be from Oakland and therefore am crazy-biased toward the greatest city on the planet, but I've got enough hatred for this upcoming move to San Francisco to take a step back. The Warriors are out to draw blood and prove they're no fad. But what's more important is that KD gives them a fail-safe plan. Klay drops off? No problem. Steph falls off? Still not a problem. Draymond falls off? Fine—what-have-you. Even if KD falls off? Nothing to worry about. All of them fall off? Ian Clark will carry us on his golden wings (and then sign with the Mavericks afterward).

Aaron Gordon, staff writer, VICE Sports: Warriors in 6. I can count the number of NBA games I've ever watched on two hands and none of them were this season. But 2016/17 seems to be the time the bad guys win.

Karisa Maxwell, social editor, VICE Sports: Cavaliers in 6. I don't care who wins or how well they play, I just want to see JR Smith wearing a half-on Romphim at the parade. We the people deserve it.

Jon Weidman, associate creative director, VICE: Cavaliers in 7. Because KD has to go through a post "Decision" letdown like LeBron for there to be balance in the universe. Speaking of the universe, Earth is flat.

Will Kiersky, publisher, VICE Entertainment: Cavaliers in 6. THE MORE EX-KNICKS YOU HAVE THE BETTER CHANCE YOU HAVE OF WINNING THE NBA TITLE. It's how the world works. This year's Cavs retain the title not solely because LBJ is still the world's best basketball players, but for the more subtle move of replacing the Timofey 'Timothy' Mozgov with Derrick Williams. They simply needed to replace one underwhelming ex-Knick with another and all would be status quo in Believeland. For obvious reasons a lot of people like to talk about the addition of Kevin Durant. But a little deeper digging reveals that neither the '16 nor '17 Warriors had or have a single ex-Knick on the roster. The key to the '15 Warriors title run? D. Lee coming off the bench to the tune of 3.1 PTS, 2.6 REBS and having once had the misfortune of playing for the New York Knickerbockers.

Josh Tyrangiel, senior vice president of news, VICE: Cavaliers in 7. I believe in LeBron James more than I believe in evolution. And I really believe in evolution. Derek Mead, executive editor, VICE Global: Cavaliers in 7. I feel like believing in something for once, even though I know I'm wrong. It feels shocking how quickly the Warriors have become annoying, especially because I *love* KD, but nothing will ever compare to watching Treal TV to get hyped for some more Baron Davis/AK47 magic on the court. Eric Sundermann, editor-in-chief, Noisey: Cavaliers in 7. Look, there's no way LeBron loses. Just no way. The Warriors have the talent and, on paper, should win for countless reasons (the main one being the Cavs don't really know what the word "defense" is). But dude just beat the Celtics by 50 and looked like he was on auto-pilot while doing so. Moreover, his legacy is on the line, and he's going to come out and look to prove that, MJ be damned, he should be considered the best basketball player of all time. Just like last year, Cavs in 7.

A lot of people at VICE are praying the Cavs win the finals. Photo by Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan McCarthy, editor-in-chief, VICE News: Warriors in 5. Can't wait for the NBA season to finally start tonight! I think each of the Finals games will be close, but the series not so much. In really busy NBA year that brought us Westbrook v. Harden, Boogie getting traded, and a few glorious months of Embiid, if anything I think the Warriors have been insufficiently hyped. Even Stephen A. Smith seems bored by the Warriors. And yes, I just made the case for more hype around a superteam of all-NBAers in an era of league inequality. Also: the Cavs defense is very bad and it's not totally Kevin Love's fault. Kyle Kramer, features editor, Noisey: Cavaliers in 6. Basketball, a game invented by James Naismith in 1891, has seen many iterations in the 126 years since ol' James first tossed a ball through a peach basket: NBA Jam, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, NBA Jam Extreme, NBA Jam 99, something called Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball for Super NES, etc. But at the end of the day, we can all agree that the current version is the best version because it involves Lebron James, who plays with the dominance of an NBA Jam character except in real life. And the only thing cooler than video games is LeBron James making other six-foot-seven men look like kindergarteners as he dribbles around them. Matt Taylor, news editor, VICE: Cavaliers in 6, because KD is going to bump knees with Tristan Thompson in game 1 and miss the rest of the series. Annalise Domenighini, social editor and cold one enthusiast, Noisey: Whichever team has the most abs. Harry Cheadle, politics editor, VICE: Warriors in 6—I don't know much about basketball but it seems like they have most of the good players. Jason Koebler, senior staff writer, Motherboard: Cavaliers in 4. These playoffs have been horrible and the law of long-suffering cities that finally get over the hump suggests that Cleveland is about to be blessed with unending sports success and the insufferability to match. Trey Smith, social editor, VICE: Cavaliers in 6. Cause LeBron is sick of y'all and is waiting to get a lot of fed up-ness out his system. Alex Robert Ross, contributing writer, Noisey: Cavaliers in 7. I've spent the last year trying to convince myself that the Warriors—a Silicon Valley startup with an innovative and gritty approach to disrupting my happiness—won't be champions. Here's all I have left: —Draymond Green hasn't kicked anyone in the dick and balls lately. He's overdue. —Zaza Pachulia is at the whims of some ancient evil spirits who will soon sour on his success. —Iman Shumpert has only played like a drunk 13-year-old this year because he's been too busy delivering babies and putting the finishing touches to his game-changing new mixtape. He will put both of those things on hold for these Finals. —LeBron James. —JR Smith will do anything for an excuse to be shirtless. That includes dropping 38 points upon Zaza Pachulia's haunted dome. —Steph Curry doesn't actually exist. Prove to me that he exists. Have you ever seen him? I mean, not on TV. Have you ever actually seen him? With your own eyes? Exactly. —Something about Kyle Korver hitting threes or something. —Maybe God exists.

From Cavs in Six to Yankees in Four, Here Are VICE's NBA Finals Picks published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[frizzyboy5-blog]

The Warriors will not win the 2016 NBA Championship

3-1.

The ratio that is both a gift and a curse for Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. A ratio that is forever immortalized in countless NBA memes that have gone viral since those two epic collapses: the first by the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Golden State Warriors; and the second by the Warriors against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals, which culminated in Lebron James’ third ring and Durant’s departure to the Bay Area.

The Warriors’ season has been better than expected: 34-6 (as of the date of this article) as they integrate their new addition into the starting lineup. It has no doubt been a struggle adjusting to life with a depleted bench and the loss of two starters. It is no easy feat to recoup after losing Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, Leandro Barbosa, Marreese Speights, Brandon Rush, and Festus Ezeli. All were key contributors to the 73-9 Warriors that ultimately lost in the NBA Finals last year.

But don’t let that shiny 34-6 record fool you. Not all losses suffered are equal and some raise eyebrows, even for a team whose ultimate goal is to make it to the playoffs healthy and with good chemistry. There was an early loss to the youthful Lakers, a blowout loss to the Grizzlies on December 10th, the inexplicable loss to the Cavaliers on Christmas, and the fourth quarter and overtime collapse to the Grizzlies again on January 6th, 2017.

The latter two are the most troubling and reflect an innate inability of Durant and the Warriors to take care of business against tough, defensive minded teams. On Christmas, Durant and the Warriors gave up a double digit lead with over four minutes left and surrendered the game to the Cavs. Even more troubling was the 19 total turnovers (typical of the Warriors loose style of play), many in the final period.

A couple weeks later, against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Warriors had a 19 point lead over the Grizzlies heading into the fourth period, and inexplicably, the Warriors lost focus again. Mike Conley hit a clutch jumper in the final seconds to tie the game and the rest, as they say, was history.

It makes you wonder: is this Warrior team capable of winning a championship?

I ask this question not from the perspective of chemistry, or health, or the constructed roster. I ask this regarding their mental makeup. Are the Warriors mentally tough enough to win?

While they did lose a considerable part of their roster this past offseason, the Warriors did retain a majority of their core: 2 time MVP Stephen Curry, All-Star sharpshooter Klay Thompson, versatile forward and part-time soccer player Draymond Green, Andre Igoudala, Shaun Livingston, and Anderson Verajo. Most of these players were finishing games for the Warriors last season. They added Durant, David West, Zaza Pachoulia (don’t even get me started on his All Star votes), Javale McGee, and other young players.

They have considerable talent, but are they capable of winning without injury striking the other team?

Now, before all of Warrior nation dubs me a hater and what not, hear me out. I’m asserting my position based on two major points: (1) Kevin Durant’s weak mental fortitude and (2) the Warrior’s collective (pre and post-acquisition of Durant) inability to close games and series.

The Thunder, long ago when both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant were on the same team, were up 3-1 against the Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals. They were up! They squandered the series. I could have sworn the 2011 Finals Lebron James was playing on the Thunder when Durant disappeared in Game 6 IN Oklahoma City. He took terrible shots and was passive during games 6 and 7. His effort, while considerable, was not enough.

We all know what happened next. Durant bolted from the Thunder without even a phone call to Russell Westbrook, his so-called “brother” and teammate of 8 years. His cited reasons for leaving were to go to a system and a team where players played the right way. No selfishness, just teamwork and winning. He cited all of these as reasons for why he left the Thunder, all the while never taking any responsibility upon himself for also contributing to that culture and not trying to change it himself. His old teammates felt slighted, but Russell Westbrook shrugged it off and began his campaign to re-establish dominance and unconsciously becoming a walking triple-double.

Durant came to the 73-9 Warriors, fresh off of their own 3-1 loss in the NBA Finals. It is the weakest move in NBA history that I have ever seen from an athlete who was still in his basketball prime. Not only do you go to a team that just won 73 games and dubbed one of the best regular season teams in NBA history, but you go to the team that knocked you out of the playoffs after you were up 3-1 with three chances to eliminate them. When I first heard the news, it was readily and immediately apparent he was trying to ride Steph Curry’s coattails to an NBA Finals, something he hadn’t been able to do since 2012 when he still had James Harden.

Many don’t see it that way at all. For all of you comparing him to Lebron James departure to Miami or to other veteran players who often go to contenders, pump the brakes for a second. Seriously, it’s not the same.

First of all, Lebron was consistently living in the shadow of the Boston Celtics and getting eliminated by them when he was in Cleveland his first go around. After all of that, he never decided to go join Boston after they eliminated him. He joined Dwayne Wade in Miami. A rival yes, but also a close friend, one who had also been eliminated by Boston in the playoffs. Lebron wasn’t trying to ride Boston’s coattails. He wanted to beat them. He wanted to forge his own identity. He simply didn’t have enough help (or the mental makeup) at the time in Cleveland to win a championship by himself. He has since redeemed himself by winning two championships in Miami and one for Cleveland.

Durant, on the other hand, had a fellow All-Star in Westbrook (who is significantly better than Mo Williams was for Cleveland pre-2010) in Oklahoma City. He had quality big men in Enes Kanter, Serge Ibaka, and Steven Adams. He had defensive help and shooters surrounding him. Ultimately, he had more help than Lebron did in Cleveland, enough talent to win a championship and beat the Warriors, evidenced by the fact that he beat my 67-15 Spurs, was up 3-1 against the Warriors and only one win from the NBA Finals.

Second, comparing him to other veteran players who jump from contender to contender is to ignore reality and shows a lack of understanding of basketball. Veterans who often go to different teams are at the tail end of their career. Even if they were all stars back in the day, they no longer have the capability to affect the outcome of a game like a Kevin Durant does, who is still in the prime of his career and quite capable of winning games single-handedly. Those veterans are looking for the one thing that has eluded them in their careers: a championship. They are quite close to retiring and have only so many good years left.

Durant, on the other hand, is only 28 years old right now. Considering he is also a shooter, he has a good 10 years left of playing basketball. He is in his athletic prime and has a unique talent and understanding of the game of basketball that easily makes him a top 2 or 3 player in the world. This guy’s shooting and ability to make tough shots from anywhere on the court is unparalleled. The only person that could possibly beat him in a game of H-O-R-S-E is his teammate Steph Curry. Durant is no scrub and had the ability to make it to the finals and possibly win a ring.

Which is why my respect for KD went down a couple of notches. Yes, he is scoring 26 ppg on a blistering 53.7% and 39.3% from the 3-pt line, the latter two eclipsing his career averages. But what did you expect? Of course he’s going to be putting up such lofty numbers considering he’s playing alongside arguably the best shooting back court of all time and a two-time MVP. To me, these numbers aren’t as powerful because while they do reflect his greatness, everything is whide open. If I went on the court with his talent and started shooting shots with more space, I’d be doing the same thing. It is obvious that he was going to be more efficient on the court when playing with players who can stretch the floor and give him more room to shoot like Steph and Klay can.

He chose the easy way out. He could have stayed with Westbrook in Oklahoma City and built a legacy, but he doesn’t have the makeup to be the “man” on the team or be an effective leader. He wanted to be the second or third guy. He wanted to have mentally tougher players like Draymond Green who weren’t afraid of wearing the black hat. If he wanted the responsibility, wanted to accept the challenge, he would have stayed on a team that needed him, a team that was but one win away from facing Lebron’s Cavs in the Finals. He’s no Kobe Bryant.

He’s not mentally strong. And he was added onto a team that squandered a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. Now, to be fair, it is very relevant that Draymond Green was suspended in game 5 and that both Bogut and Igoudala were injured for the remainder of that series, which tipped the scales in Cleveland’s favor. It was also very relevant that Curry wasn’t 100% in the playoffs too. It does not, however, negate that Curry historically has struggled against Lebron in the Finals. Curry struggled in 2016 NBA Finals against the Cavs. While he didn’t in 2015, he also wasn’t facing a full-powered Cavs team. He was very fortunate that Love and Irving were injured or else we’d be having a very different conversation right now. Curry even struggled mightily against the Cavs on Christmas day.

Many of you will denounce me as a hypocrite, saying, yea, but your Facebook status last year was all about supporting the Warriors. You’re just a bandwagon fan. Except, I’m actually a Spurs fan. I had no skin in the past two Finals matchups. Calling out which team I preferred to win is irrelevant to my argument. I observed the basketball on my own and come to my own conclusions regarding the state of the Warriors and any other team.

And the conclusion is crystal clear to anybody who watches basketball: there are serious questions about whether the Warriors can win the championship this year. They struggle against length and against teams that have a tough, gritty style of basketball, which is what playoff basketball is from the second round on. The mental fortitude is simply not there at the times when it matters most. It is something the Warriors will have to forge as they skate through the rest of the regular season.

To deny this is to ignore basketball reality. Basketball goes beyond the X’s and O’s. It is just as much about mental fortitude and mental toughness.

3-1 proved that.

[junker-town]

The List: What you’ve missed from the start of the NBA season

LeBron is having another great season. The Rockets’ top duo is out of this world. But can anyone really stop the Warriors?

Over the last few years, Christmas Day has become a second opening day for casual NBA fans. By casual, we mean people who don’t consume voracious amounts of basketball on a daily basis. You know, normal people.

For the norms, the various developments that we have incorporated into our thinking about the league this season are not so obvious. There’s a learning curve to every season, so consider this a cheat sheet for getting back into the game on our holiest of regular-season days.

Here’s a list of the things you may have missed:

The Warriors are evolving: Only a team this loaded could turn injuries to star players into a long-term advantage. The Warriors have played without Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green for extended stretches and yet they keep winning games. Turns out that a team with KD and Klay Thompson as its two best players is still pretty freaking good.

Check out the best moments from last night’s win #JBLxNBA http://pic.twitter.com/QTBhKNf39g

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 23, 2017

More than keeping pace in the standings, the Warriors have tweaked and adjusted their strategy to account for who they have at any given moment. It helps to have great players, obviously, but it’s also important to have a smart supporting cast. The collective basketball IQ of Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, and David West is something like the galaxy brain meme.

The Warriors are learning from one another and producing multiple hybrid monsters capable of weathering whatever the basketball gods may throw their way in 2018. They may not be fair, but they are fascinating.

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Paul and James Harden are brilliant together: If you were with us last summer, you may remember that there was some murmuring among the chattering class as to whether CP3 and the Beard could play with one another.

Those of us who had doubts about this pairing (slowly raises hand) were not completely without merit. Take two headstrong, ball-dominant players and plug them into Mike D’Antoni’s system and we knew we’d get sparks. Turns out that Harden and Paul play together just fine. More importantly, they can take turns leading the most dynamic offense in the league.

Heard some guy on our team got player of the week @CP3 lol congrats bro. #LockedIn #RedNation http://pic.twitter.com/d5AznhaDBX

— James Harden (@JHarden13) December 19, 2017

Like the Warriors, the Rockets have a ton of smart, heady veterans around their two superstars. They also have a super-duper wild card named Clint Capela, who is the living embodiment of every late first-round big man’s tantalizing potential. This all feels like it’s heading toward a showdown in the Western Conference finals with legacies on the line all around. Fun.

LeBron is still the King: While James Harden has the MVP race on lock for now, LeBron is lurking in the shadow like a Jedi ghost reminding the kids that he still runs this league. He’s posting numbers that are in line with his very best statistical campaigns while pulling a motley collection of castoffs and vagabonds back to the top of the conference standings.

We say this every year, but taking this team back to the Finals and winning a championship would rank among his greatest accomplishments. LeBron can keep this up for as long as it’s needed, the question is how long will the Cavs need him to play at this level.

The Celtics and Raptors are both good: The Celtics overhauled their entire roster, while the Raptors kept their core and revamped their approach. They’re both different entities than the teams that reached the conference finals the last two seasons, but they share the same space. The only real distinction is the Celtics came out hot and the Raptors have kept pace, while the C’s have come back to the pack.

Both teams are legitimately talented. Now, are they good enough to beat LeBron?

The Spurs are still the Spurs: They will never go away.

The vast middle has yet to take shape: Look beyond the top three teams in each conference and you will see a wide swath of the league competing for those final five playoff spots. That’s where the action is this season.

It’s here that you’ll find Joel Embiid, Kristaps Porzingis, Nikola Jokic, and Karl Anthony-Towns looking to attain the credibility that comes with a playoff push. You’ll also find emerging stars like Victor Oladipo and Andre Drummond staking out their turf. Giannis Antetokounmpo lives here and he’s worth the price of League Pass all by himself.

TOO MUCH GREEK!!#FearTheDeer http://pic.twitter.com/4BJMbwPn9g

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 23, 2017

On one hand, the unclaimed middle is like a giant laboratory incubating the next generation. And on the other, it’s where the careers of Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, John Wall, and Jimmy Butler continue to live; great players all, each with substantial tasks in front of them. The top teams will define the season, but the middle will set the agenda for the second half of the season.

The middle is also where you’ll find Oklahoma City. Those of us who thought the trio of Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony would produce brilliant basketball (slowly raises hand) have to reckon with the reality that it will take longer than we thought to come together.

Time is something the Thunder don’t have a lot of, so this has become a nightly referendum on everything from Westbrook’s game to Billy Donovan’s coaching with healthy amounts of PG’s future and Melo’s legacy all mixed together. It’s the best drama the league has to offer at the moment.

The rookies are really good: There was some early talk that this might be the best class since the Famed 1996 group that produced multiple Hall of Famers. That’s cooled a bit as injuries and the rookie wall have come into play, but the long-term outlook is still excellent.

The best is Ben Simmons, who looks like a power forward and plays point guard. The smoothest is Jayson Tatum, who is getting big minutes on a contender. Donovan Mitchell is a delight and Kyle Kuzma and OG Anunoby are revelations. Lonzo Ball is a basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s got a chance to be really good. It would be nice if he had a chance to find himself.

The bottom third isn’t terrible: The Hawks project to win about 25 games this season. That’s not good, obviously, but it’s not full-on disaster bad. There’s almost a dozen other teams that will have to make decisions about whether to commit to long-term rebuilds or continue to make middling progress.

Ball movement http://pic.twitter.com/lvsPHRQlLW

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 16, 2017

For some, like the Hawks, that decision is already baked into the equation. For others — say, the Clippers and Grizzlies — it could mean offloading veteran stars. The trade deadline will be revealing.

The NBA is in fine shape: Ratings are up and the games are compelling. The concentration of stars at the top promises a more exciting postseason and the young talent scattered around the league continues to evolve. These are really good times for the league and in a world gone mad, it’s the closest thing we have to a communal experience.