6. Warriors make NBA Finals even in KD’s absence
There was something different about the Golden State Warriors before Kevin Durant came along, not just in the way they played, but in the way they were perceived.
Before KD, the Warriors were the model example of how to build a contender and they did so without a top-five pick. Their Big Three had grown together through struggles and to see them then reap the benefits was a win for the believers of the “right way” to build a team.
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They may have been arrogant amid success, but it was hard to outright hate a core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson given the organic way in which they came together in the first place.
Durant’s presence changed all of that, morphing Golden State’s image into that of a purchased superteam. But when the two-time NBA Finals MVP went down in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets, the Dubs were able to return to their roots and it was glorious.
They started with a series-clinching Game 6 on the home floor of the Rockets, where Curry looked like the two-time MVP with 33 points in the second half after registering zero across the first 24 minutes.
In the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, it was just like old times. Double-digit comebacks were made. The Splash Brothers rained down from beyond the arc. Draymond Green was everywhere at both ends.
Golden State swept the Blazers en route to its fifth straight NBA Finals and yet you couldn’t scoff at them as you could with Durant.
KD’s presence made the Dubs nearly unstoppable, pushing them to a place no other team could reach. His absence created just enough vulnerability to make their accomplishments seem genuine and earned given the very real potential for defeat.
A third straight championship would’ve been the sweetest of victories, but the NBA Finals run served as a stark reminder of the foundation Golden State has implemented through the years through a core that was doing just fine before Durant arrived.