“You remember KD did lose to LeBron in 2012, with no Steph Curry.… He was won 1 series since he’s left Steph Curry” - NBA analyst questions the ‘Steph Curry can’t do it without KD’ notion
NFL Hall of Famer and sports analyst Shannon Sharpe defended Steph Curry and attacked Kevin Durant while discussing NBA Finals appearances. Curry is in the finals for the sixth time in eight years, while Durant hasn't reached the conference finals since he departed from Golden State.
Kevin Durant won the Finals MVP award for the 2017 and 2018 championships. Many Curry haters, such as Skip Bayless, have often called out the two-time MVP and suggested that he needed KD to win a title.
However, Shannon Sharpe has a different approach to the situation. He believes Durant needed Curry more than Curry needed Durant. He said, on "Undisputed":
"I need somebody to help me (with) this. Why is it always that Steph Curry, when he lost, they say 'He couldn't do it without KD'? KD hadn't won a finals without him.
"You remember KD did lose to LeBron in 2012, with no Steph Curry? Now he has not gone back (to the finals), he has won one series since he's left Steph Curry."
The Golden State Warriors are hosting Game 1 of the NBA Finals soon and discussions about Kevin Durant's success in Brooklyn have arisen.
Durant chose to leave a well-oiled machine in the Warriors to build his own team with the unestablished Brooklyn Nets. He has won just a single first-round series while his former teammate is back in the NBA Finals.
Moreover, Steph Curry won a title before Kevin Durant ever got to Golden State (2015) and is now back competing for his fourth ring.
The finals are happening. But NBA Twitter can't get past the Stephen Curry-Kevin Durant drama ti.me/3MbB2sw
Durant has not seen much winning without Curry, so it does look like Shannon Sharpe has a strong case.
Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors pegged as underdogs by ESPN
The Golden State Warriors have been favored to win every series they have entered in this postseason. They were even the favorites against the higher seed Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference semifinals.
According to oddsmakers and almost every major sports book, the Warriors are three-point favorites to win the title.
However, ESPN's Basketball Power Index doesn't agree. They believe that the Boston Celtics are the major favorite who will knock down the Warriors. Senior NBA analyst at ESPN, Zach Lowe, wrote a piece ahead of the NBA Finals and mentioned how the Celtics should be favored. He reported:
"Boston is the only team in the Kerr era with a winning record against Golden State. The Celtics should be favorites. Some models – including ESPN's Basketball Power Index – peg them as such. Oddsmakers disagree."
The Celtics have a strong chance to beat the Warriors in the #NBAFinals, according to ESPN's BPI 👀 https://t.co/JJzaNSwfGF
The Golden State Warriors will look to earn their franchise's seventh title behind their Hall of Fame trio of Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. They have home court advantage for the Finals and will look to capitalize on their loud fanbase.