Kevin Durant has spent the last 10 months on the receiving end of a lot of criticism. His decision to join the Golden State Warriors after they went 73-9 was heavily scrutinized. He was called a choker, a traitor, and a quitter.
Durant recently told The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears that “I made the 100 percent correct decision, win or lose.” He announced his intentions to re-sign with Golden State. Durant, who has admitted that he has let people’s opinion of him effect him, is not looking back.
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Letting the single-season wins record last year took a mental toll on last year’s Warriors. There has never been a team in league history that faced more pressure heading into the postseason than Golden State. They, arguably, topped that this year.
Durant’s decision meant that failure was not an option. With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green by his side, the Warriors had to make the NBA Finals. Anything less was a failure. It can be argued that anything less than a championship would be considered a failure, but at minimum, they needed to make the Finals.
The goal is to win. Players play to win. While, understandably, that can sometimes take a backseat to financial stability, there isn’t a player that doesn’t want to win.
Durant wasn’t just a spectator who was here for the ride. He wasn’t a free loader that allowed a great team to carry him. He was an amazing contributor throughout the year and during the postseason.
The forward had 29 points and 11 rebounds in the closeout game in the Western Conference Finals. A year after he fell to Curry after losing three straight Conference Finals games, Durant is on the winning side of things. He gets to celebrate running through the Western Conference that was supposed to be his for years.
Durant has helped the Dubs dominate. They are undefeated in the playoffs, rattling off 12 wins in a row. They are on a mission.
Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors are four wins away. No matter what the experts, fans, and even his colleagues say, his move was the right one. This NBA Finals berth proves that.