Blue Man Hoop
Fansided

Five takeaways from the Warriors’ perfect road trip

By Carlos Murillo

Nov 21, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) celebrates a three point basket in the second half of the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Golden State beat Indiana 120-83. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) celebrates a three point basket in the second half of the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Golden State beat Indiana 120-83. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Golden State Warriors
Nov 21, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) laughs on the court in the second half of the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Golden State beat Indiana 120-83. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Kevin Durant should be leading MVP conversation

When Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors, no one exactly knew how he would fit. Many were concerned that a power struggle between he and Stephen Curry would arise. And that’s ignoring any potential turbulence in trying to play alongside two other All-Stars in Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Curry has won the last two NBA MVP awards and Durant won it the year before that. It was expected that both of their numbers were to drop, but it was unclear just how much. Could they both get their numbers on the same nights or would they have to alternate?

The NBA has been amazing this year, as always. There are players in both conferences that are playing out of their mind. LeBron James is casually averaging a near triple-double while James Harden has been absolutely unleashed under Mike D’Antoni and guys like DeMar DeRozan, Jimmy Butler, and Kawhi Leonard are having career years. That doesn’t even include what Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and Russell Westbrook are doing.

There are all of these great players playing amazing basketball and it’s Kevin Durant that should be leading the far-too-early MVP conversation. While Curry is still the most important cog in what Golden State does to rip teams apart, Durant has taken the lead in carrying the load on most nights. He was special during the road trip.

He only played 27 minutes and took just 9 shots against the shorthanded Pacers. Even in his limited action in a game he didn’t need to score, he dished out 6 assists and grabbed 11 rebounds. He’s proving to everyone that believed he couldn’t fit in Golden State that he’s more than just a scorer; he’s an incredibly versatile beast.

Durant averaged 28.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6 assists on nearly 61 percent shooting from the field over the first three games of the road trip. The offense as times looked lost when he sat. He had to settle things down for Golden State when teams started to threaten.

The Clippers are having a great season, but it’s hard to bet against the Warriors as finishing as the top team in the West. If they can win 65+ games and boast a historically great offers then Durant can win his second MVP award.

Home/Warriors News