Why Kevin Durant Saved His Legacy Going to Golden State (part 2)

Part 2, A Not So Rocky Beginning:

Getting blown out to the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena on opening night was not exactly what KD had in mind when he joined the Warriors. What if the critics, haters, and scrutinizers were right? Did Kevin Durant fit in with the Warriors? Questions swirled around Durant, over the franchise, management, and coaching staff. Why had they broken apart the team that had just garnered the best regular season record in NBA history? Because of Kevin Durant: because of a, as Oakland Correspondent Ethan Grossman calls, “7-foot-tall guard, with the shooting of a 2 guard, and the rebounding ability of a big man”. And that Spurs game, well, that was one game.

Fast forward to present day, and it is quite apparent that the 43-8 league-leading Golden State Warriors and KD are simply not fair, not capable of losing come playoff time. On Golden State, KD’s dominance is more apparent than ever. He can score at will, but now he can kick out to Stephan Curry or Klay Thompson…yeah good luck defending that. By coming to Golden State, by putting himself first in his incredibly selfless career, KD picked a team where he could become the dominant, selfless, motivated, and insanely talented basketball player he truly is. He was drafted by Seattle, moved with the franchise to Oklahoma City, and served faithfully for nine seasons. Essentially he gave everything he had to the Supersonics/Thunder Franchise, brought a new team, a BRAND NEW team in the NBA, instant glory, recognition, and a Western Conference Championship. Kevin Durant made the franchise: he was Oklahoma City. So Durant had every right to leave, he had already done more than was asked of him, and it was time to think for himself. Ultimately, he chose correctly. The Warriors play an up-tempo, free-flowing, selfless style of basketball that every team in the NBA covets. Good on ya Kevin Durant, and to Oklahoma City, I hope that Saturday’s matchup, which will see Durant back in OKC to take on the Thunder for the first time since leaving, will yield a gracious and respectful welcome from the fan base that was spoiled rotten for their first 8 years of existence because of one man, Kevin Durant.