The 2016 off-season left fans on their seats as free agents had the option to leave their current team for a new opportunity to chase an NBA title ring. When it was time for NBA superstar and free-agent Kevin Durant to make his decision, the league was at a standstill. Many were surprised when Durant elected to head to the west coast to join Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry to be a part of the already dominant Golden State Warriors.
During the 2016 post-season, the Warriors eliminated Durant and his former team the Oklahoma City Thunder from playoff contention.
When the move was final, and Kevin signed his one-year contract, multiple basketball followers and analyst questioned Durant's ability to be a competitor.
The sports world believed that this offseason decision acted as an opportunity to achieve an NBA championship the easy way. Nevertheless, Kevin Durant packed his bags for Oakland and decided to prepare for the 2017 NBA regular season.
Golden regular season
During the NBA regular season, it was no surprise that the Warriors were on fire. Despite injuries that seemed to disrupt the team throughout the season constantly, the team was able to finish the regular season on top of the Western Conference. At the end of the 2017 season, the Warriors were able to cruise into the playoffs with the best record in the NBA of 67-15.
Although they finished 73-9 the previous season, their 2017 record was still a huge milestone.
Kevin Durant was able to contribute 25 points a night while still being able to crash the boards for eight rebounds per night. Although his point average for the season was less than his career average, Kevin was still able to play a pivotal part on the Warriors roster.
His presence on the floor could not be ignored and often required extra defensive attention.
This attention enabled his teammates the ability to get open and collect points on an every night basis. The Warriors used Kevin Durant as an off-ball player as well as a primary ball handler, and it provided them with the numbers needed to reach the NBA playoffs with ease.
Playoff basketball made easy
After the Golden State Warriors had a dominant regular season, it was only right that they continued to dominate in the playoffs. The number seeded Warriors blew by each team during their playoff basketball journey as they ventured to the NBA finals for the third time in five years.
Although the Golden boys from Golden State had already proved to be one of the best teams in NBA history they still had to face King James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Fans across the globe wondered how Kevin Durant would respond to the pressure of playing in his first NBA finals against a team like the Cavs who had experience and team chemistry.
After Game one of the NBA Finals fans started to realize how good Kevin Durant really was.
Durant was able to score 30 plus points in each game of the NBA finals. He carried the Golden State Warriors as they were determined to hold off the comeback efforts of LeBron James and company.
The Warriors just became too much for the Cavaliers to handle as they continued to torch the Cleveland team from the field. Unlike last year, the Warriors were able to hold the Cavs to a victory total of one as they were crowned the new champions of the NBA.
It has already been proven that the Warriors would have been a different team in the playoffs if they did not acquire the talent of Kevin Durant. The star forward helped the team tremendously and almost made the Golden State Warriors impossible to guard when they have control of the game's tempo. While Kevin Durant is in a Warriors jersey, the team will be a hard to stop for anyone in the NBA.