"Let's talk about the team KD left, the Warriors; They're the LA Rams of the NBA" - Colin Cowherd asserts that Kevin Durant should have stayed with Stephen Curry and Co.
Over the weekend, both Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry went up against their respective match-ups in the first-round of the playoffs. The glaring difference between the teams was put on display for the world to see.
As the Golden State Warriors blew past the Denver Nuggets on Monday, 126-106, Stephen Curry scored 34 points (in a little under 23 minutes, coming off the bench). Jordan Poole scored 29 points and provided eight assists. Klay Thompson added 21 points in the winning effort.
The way Stephen Curry and Co. have played their last two games against Denver is indicative of what Durant lost. Colin Cowherd, on his podcast "The Herd," remarked on the Warriors culture and how it made them successful:
"Let's talk about the team KD (Kevin Durant) left, the Warriors. They're the LA Rams of the NBA, really smart GM, really smart coach, awesome culture. They always seem to find money that nobody else has, they draft and develop really well and they make odd players and weird players and old players all fit. This Warriors team gives you the full range of their culture."
He further remarked on the unselfish play which the Warriors boast:
"Then there's Steph (Stephen Curry), cherry-on-top Steph, you see what Steph did this weekend? 'You know I've been injured, I don't need to start, I'll come off the bench', excuse me? When that was suggested to Russell Westbrook, he was outraged by it, when Melo, way past his prime, when it was suggested he comes off the bench, he didn't know what to do with him"
The Brooklyn Nets dropped their first game against the Celtics and meet again on Wednesday. The Golden State Warriors are up two games and will travel to Denver for Game 3 of their first-round matchup.
Also Checkout:- Stephen Curry Shoes
Kevin Durant left more than just the death lineup in San Francisco
When Kevin Durant left the Golden State Warriors, he wasn't just leaving Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to fend for himself with scraps. He left a team with some of the most determined players, who were all on the court with a purpose and ready to do whatever it took to win an NBA championship.
Durant's exit from the Warriors was acrimonious, and his arrival in Brooklyn and subsequent years with them hasn't been as smooth as Durant might have thought. The first two years were riddled with injuries, and the best they could manage was the conference semi-finals.
The narrative has been different this year: of their big three, one guy, as we found out, didn't even plan on being there. Another guy sat out the majority of the season because his principles got in the way, and the state of New York wasn't ready to make an exception.
All of this is in contrast to the team-first, unselfish mentality that Durant encountered in SF, which led him to two titles. The lackluster defense (and non-existent transition defense) we have seen from the Nets throughout the season will be their downfall in the playoffs, should they muck up their offense, even by a slight margin.