The Golden State Warriors will always be Stephen Curry’s team
By Weldon Jones
Stephen Curry is still the top dog for the Golden State Warriors, even with Kevin Durant.
The 2016-2017 NBA Season may go down as the most exciting season in Golden State Warriors history. This will be the first season of the Kevin Durant experiment. Stephen Curry and his spectacular play–accompanied with a great supporting cast–has elevated the stature of the Warriors over the past two seasons.
Kevin Durant will be a great addition. He is definitely an upgrade to Harrison Barnes. Steph had a rough NBA Finals, but it was warranted. He played a long Conference Finals and NBA Finals all while hobbling on his MCL.
I will be going full Curry apologist here because, everybody seems to not understand that Curry dominates the league when healthy and its not even close. There is one thing that needs to be clear with this team. All the success this team will have and should have starts and stops with the play of Stephen Curry. This past NBA Finals validates these claims as we saw how hurt Curry was and how it impacted the Warriors’ effectiveness.
We should not over-hype the arrival of Kevin Durant. Stephen Curry is still universally recognized as the second best player on the planet, and he has proven that he deserves that superlative. In actuality the running is not even close.
It is Curry’s world and Kevin Durant is coming to live in it. Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant will be playing second and third fiddle to Stephen Curry as they should. Draymond Green will be the defensive anchor as he was last season and his all-around skillset will only elevate the effectiveness of the Golden State Warriors’ attack.
This formula has won the Dubs two Conference Championships and an NBA Championship. The limitless range and superior skill of the two-time MVP is what created this spectacular brand of Warriors’ basketball. Furthermore, the constant ability of the reigning Most Valuable Player to become more dangerous on the floor directly relates to the increased threat the Golden State Warriors pose. The notion that Kevin Durant is the best player on the Warriors, or even the notion that Kevin Durant is better than Stephen Curry is ridiculous.
Curry has proven that he can win a championship and lead a team further despite his lack of physical stature. Durant has yet to get over the hump and his track record in OKC , which you could argue has more talent and athleticism than the Dubs on paper proves that fact. Talent is great, but rings and winning are the be all end all. As long as Stephen Curry stays healthy, he is unstoppable and unguardable. He also possesses the intangibles to be a champion. Something he will be teaching to the new arrival that is Kevin Durant.
As a basketball fan you will love watching the Warriors play. Green has grit, passion, competitiveness, and an all-around skill-set to match his championship intangibles. Thompson shares that mentality and has the best catch-and-shoot ability coupled with the ability to fill up the scoreboard while guarding top-notch offensive talents. Kevin Durant will bring his scoring prowess and will fit in great with the Warriors’ system.
When the lights come on and the Dubs need to be led to the promise land, It will be Stephen Curry who leads the charge and asserts his dominance on opponents standing between Golden State and the ultimate goal. The franchise is in Curry’s hands and,until he retires, it will stay that way.