Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant suffered an injury in the western conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets, but you would not notice that by their play since. The Warriors took a 3-2 series lead against the Rockets despite the injury and have won 5 consecutive playoff games without the 2X finals MVP.
Don’t take it just from the bloggers, even Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni believes the Warriors are better without the all world talent, KD. “They play a little bit differently, but I know one thing: When Kevin went out, everybody and every player and every coach and everybody in the country … who was against them was relieved that Kevin (wasn’t there),” D’Antoni told Sam Amick of The Athletic. “That gives you a clue, to me, that they’re better with him when everybody says, ‘Oh, thank goodness (he’s out).’
D’Antoni followed up by saying the Warriors can win a championship without #35, they won 73 games the season before he joined the Warriors the next summer. There are three reasons why the Warriors are better without Durant. First, while Durant is one of the most elite scorers of today’s NBA, the Warriors are at their best when they push the temp and Durant’s playing style tends to go against that. The ball moves around everywhere and in the conference final, the Warriors averaged over 113 points a game, whereas they scored 111.7 in the Houston series. Simply put, more possessions means more points for an offense that is deadly as is the Warriors.
Some believe the Durant is too much of a ball hog and while he is an elite scorer, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have more freedom to play their game at their pace. In the conference finals, Curry scored over 35 points a game, with 5.5 assists a game and shot over 47 percent from the floor. Curry also made over 40 percent of his three-point shots, where the high 30’s is solid. Thompson, Curry and Draymond Green excel when the game is a track meet and when Durant is on the floor, the fast pace tends to slow down with Durant playing one-on-one.
The Warriors bench doesn’t get as much attention as their starters, but their reserves have stood out in the playoffs. Kevon Looney is scoring over 10 points a game in just over 25 minutes a game. Jordan Bell and Quinn Cook could play more of a role on the team next year and beyond. One unsung hero of the Warriors is Andre Iguodola, his numbers don’t stand out like Curry and Durant, but his grit on the court is what has kept him on an NBA team. Iguodola is one of the most underrated players in the NBA today and he makes his teammates better with his presence on the court.
Some thought the Warriors were potentially vulnerable when Durant went down, but the injury has served as a motivational moment for the Warriors. They won a championship four years ago without the superstar and they can do it again, they know how to win when the walls are at their back. NBA fans may get tired of the same team being in the finals year after year, but fans have to respect what they have done year after year. In professional sports, a team’s window tends to close earlier than anticipated, yet the Warriors have defied that trend.
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