Facts > Narratives
If you’ve watched basketball over the past three years, you may have a particular hate for Kevin Durant, which he properly deserves because, as Stephen A. Smith said, “it is the weakest move ever seen by a superstar.” No matter the feelings you may have for Durant, you can’t deny that he’s solidified himself as one of the best to ever lace up a pair of basketball shoes. He led the Warriors to back-to-back championships and won both Finals MVPs against two LeBron lead Cavalier teams, who ultimately had no shot at beating those Warrior teams. There’s an issue that people tend to have with KD’s titles and accomplishments that’s due to the uniqueness of Golden State’s situation; they had gone 73–9 the previous season, were already a championship contending team, two of the greatest shooters of all-time, and a unanimous MVP in Steph Curry. I believe that KD’s move to Golden State was a weak one, but I refuse to allow these narratives affect how much I respect KD’s game and what he’s achieved in the last three years.
Durant won the one thing that eluded his entire career: a championship. He had great teams throughout his time in Oklahoma, but it always seemed like those Thunder teams were on the cusp of winning a championship. The two teams that come to mind are the 2012 Thunder and the 2016 Thunder Squad. The 2012 squad was the season the young core of that team matured; Durant averaged 28.0 PPG on 49.6% FG, Westbrook averaged 23.6 PPG, Harden won sixth man of the year, and Ibaka made the all-defense first team. They ran through the West; sweeping the Mavericks team who had taken them out in five games in 2011, demolishing the Lakers in 5 games, and taking out the Spurs in six games to reach their first and only Finals appearance. They were not able to finish the job and bring back a championship because they ran into LeBron, who had just taken out the team that haunted his career: the Boston Celtics, and was on his mission to capture the championship that had escaped him for so long. The Thunder were out in five games as they were not able stop Erik Spolstra’s offense. Though they had just lost, it seemed like this squad was destined to return to the NBA Finals, but unfortunately, they haven’t. After their five game exit in the Finals, the team traded James Harden over the inability to agree upon a contract extension.
After three years of playoff failure and one year of not making the playoffs, the Thunder began to blossom once again. In 2016, the Thunder went 55–27 and were the third seed of the Western Conference. They ran through the sixth seeded Mavericks in five games and finished the San Antonio Spurs in six. This set the stage for a thrilling seven-game series between the Thunder and the 73 win Golden State Warriors. The Thunder were on the verge of meeting their “rival” LeBron James, but ultimately lost in the series. Kevin Durant would leave the Thunder in the off-season and join the team he had just blown a 3–1 lead to. In a clip from the “All The Smoke” podcast, Durant stated that he already had the desire to play with Golden State before the Western Conference Finals match-up.
I believe that KD is telling the truth because he made a legit claim, in his entire tenure in Oklahoma, he primarily played with teammates, who relied heavily on shots inside the three point line, thus a roster that shot under the league average three point percentage (35.4%); making them the 20th in the league. Westbrook who shot 29.6% from the 3 point line or Andre Roberson who shot 31.1% from 3? Golden State was the only option that provided a lane for KD that had shooters, were in a big market, and had a recent history of winning.
In his three tenure in the Bay Area, KD averaged 25.8 ppg/7.2 rpg/5.4 apg, made the all-NBA first team once (2018) and made the all-NBA second team twice (2017 & 2019), and won two championships with two Finals MVP’s. KD has accolades that some NBA legends don’t have, given that his path was easier than those legends, but that shouldn’t matter because, at the end of the day, the narratives that the NBA “fans” try to create won’t take away the fact that he won these trophies.
If we’re looking at the facts, instead of the narratives, Kevin Durant led two championship winning teams vs LeBron James. He holds that against LeBron, whether you like it or not. KD has won two championships vs LeBron, while LeBron has won only one.
Another fact that gets overlooked, because of the narrative, is the fact that Kevin Durant sunk both of the dagger shots in game 3 of the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals. That is the textbook definition of “clutch,” but since Durant was on a stacked team, those shots aren’t appreciated.
I do think Durant is an all-time great player and has inspired the future generation of tall basketball players to have the handles of a guard, shooting of a 1 or 2 guard, and the ability to pull up from anywhere on the court. When he returns from his achilles injury, I feel like he’s still going to be chasing his biggest rival, in LeBron James.
Narratives that surround Kevin Durant have tainted his legacy because rather than focusing on the greatness that they were watching, on Golden State, they would criticize how overpowered the Warriors were and how them winning doesn’t mean anything. At the end of the day, anyone could say anything about Durant, but that won’t strip him of the accolades he won during his stay in Oakland.
As always, tell me think you think about this piece. Let me know what you think!
-IZ
