Kevin Durant’s time at the Golden State Warriors is somewhat underrated in the league. Experts regularly question his contributions to the Golden State dynasty. Fans seemingly also got swayed by those views. He also arguably didn’t get carried by the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green during his time with the Warriors.
The latter recently admitted recently that without Durant, they might not have won the 2017 and 2018 Finals. Green shared his opinion while speaking on former NBA player JJ Redick’s podcast. The host Redick thought that many don’t give Durant his due credit for those title wins. And Draymond Green agreed with him.
“I don’t think the outside world gave Kevin enough credit, “?Draymond Green?said, “I think if you came within our organization, Kevin was given all the credit. But the reality is, I don’t think that team wins another championship if Kevin doesn’t come. Now, you may say, ‘Oh, yeah, but you won the fourth one without Kevin.’ But there’s a gap in there where teams started to figure us out.” Draymond concluded by saying,” We would not have beat the Cavs coming back around without Kevin.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Draymond Green:
“We would not have beat the Cavs coming back around without Kevin [Durant].”
(via @OldManAndThree) pic.twitter.com/XvGq7rGpmN
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 28, 2022
It is an interesting confession because of their storied history. This comes at the heels of Durant admitting that the media always pits him against his former teammates. The Brooklyn Nets player has said that he was very happy that his former team won. The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ defense was shocked by Durant’s ability during those Finals series.
These are some of the fan reactions to that confession:
But when I said it I was wrong 🙄😂😂😂 https://t.co/VQnC5v2tpm
— wait a minute✊🏾🏳️🌈♎️🇺🇸 (@beseriousyall) June 29, 2022
KD going to the Warriors definitely took at least one ring from LeBron. Clearly. https://t.co/7JXBrK9CEv
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) June 29, 2022
https://twitter.com/UnoriginalFC/status/1541947368966348805?s=20&t=fV5lTP_h1h9MN62OC-Tb_w
At least someone on the damn team finally said it. https://t.co/Aypc2dxv9P pic.twitter.com/XFwvkkI8E9
— John Stevens (@johnnyfire817) June 29, 2022
Duh. Like I been saying. Warriors didn’t need KD to get to the finals they needed him to beat Lebron. https://t.co/BMbSlJCzNL
— Zay✨ (@ZAYYYTHEGOAT) June 28, 2022
Warriors fans are in disbelief 😭 https://t.co/bWCighgDb2
— Mike Breen’s Burner (@BreenBurn) June 28, 2022
Kevin Durant’s 2017 and 2018 Finals
Kevin Durant’s performances torched the Cavaliers in the 2017 and 2018 Finals, winning him two?Finals MVPs along the way.?He completed an already great team. But he was in his prime during his time at Golden State.
He averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game during the 2017 Finals. Durant accomplished this by shooting 47.4% from outside the arc and 55.6% overall. In the 2018 Finals, “The Slim Reaper” made a mockery of the Cavaliers again.
And the Warriors, led by Durant, defeated the Cavaliers 4-0. He shot 52.6 percent from the field and averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists. He even outperformed LeBron James. A hard thing to do since the latter was the best player in the league at that time.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
With the Golden State Warriors, he put up some incredible displays. Durant simultaneously gained admiration and hatred. He was despised for picking a squad in 2016 that was already loaded but loved for his electrifying on-court personality. Although Durant’s championships will always likely be denoted by an asterisk, he is aware that his contributions to the Warriors dynasty were beneficial.
Watch this Story: Stephen Currys Lookalike daughter Riley Curry: All you need to know about her
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Today, Draymond Green admitted it. Without Kevin Durant, the Warriors perhaps wouldn’t have won the last two Finals series against the LeBron James-led Cavaliers.
Do you think the Warriors would have won without Durant? Let us know in the comments below.