Warriors’ Injuries
This past season, the Warriors were without their engine, Steph Curry, for a good chunk of the end of the regular season, all of the 1st round of the playoffs and some of the 2nd round. It even led many to believe that the once-mighty Warriors were now vulnerable, and now was the time to pounce.
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But even with Steph’s Grade 2 MCL sprain, Kevin Durant was able to hold down the scoring, and other key contributors like Draymond and Iguodala were able to facilitate the offense and keep the ball moving. As a result, they were able to eliminate both the Spurs and Pelicans in five games.
This scenario was the exact reason why Bob Myers went out and snatched KD in the summer of 2016. The Warriors were fresh off of losing in the Finals, with Steph Curry hobbled and nowhere near 100% throughout the 2016 playoffs.
As a result, the Dubs needed a miraculous 3-1 comeback against OKC just to get to the Finals, and ran out of steam against the Cavs, with Curry famously not even able to get around Kevin Love at the end of Game 7.
Myers and the Warriors’ front office knew they needed insurance. Their star player had dealt with ankle issues in the past. They needed to know their team could still compete at a high level without him.
Enter Kevin Durant.