The Golden State Warriors’ playoff fate will be determined by how far Kevin Durant can take them
Kevin Durant had his best performance of the postseason thus far in a Game 3 win over the Utah Jazz Saturday night.
Durant finished with 38 points and 13 rebounds, while shooting 15-26 from the field, and 4-8 from downtown. Aside from his incredible statistical performance, we saw some aggressiveness and tenaciousness from Durant, especially towards Rudy Gobert.
This is the type of mentality and mindset that the Golden State Warriors need from Durant going forward. We didn’t see this type of Durant last season in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. The Durant that everyone knows best did not show up until it was too late, and the Thunder season came to a bitter end.
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Although Durant averaged the fewest amount of points per game this year since his rookie season, he recorded the highest field goal percentage of his career this year with the Warriors (53.7%). He also played the fewest minutes of his career per game, and took the fewest shot attempts per game as well.
This allowed him to conserve his energy for the defensive end (which he has improved tremendously), and on the boards, in which he averaged a career-high in rebounds per game. This team is no longer Stephen Curry’s team, it is Kevin Durant’s team. When the Warriors need a bucket, they go to Durant.
Both Curry’s and Klay Thompson’s offensive games have taken a hit, especially Thompson, who had a mere six points last night. Yes, Zaza Pachulia did have seven points. Thompson is still one of the best two-way players in the game, and his defense will be extremely important as the Warriors continue to advance. Curry has some pressure taken off of his back, but it is still extremely vital for him to run the offense, set up his teammates, take smart shots, and to limit turnovers.
We can see the NBA Finals matchup begin to shape right in front of our eyes. The two teams that we expect to be there have yet to lose a playoff game. Ultimately, Durant could have a date with his kryptonite, Lebron James.
The last time Durant met LeBron in the Finals, he lost four straight. Another LeBron-Durant matchup will be epic, but for Durant to come out on top, he will have to have an All-Time Finals performance. He will have to show up when the bright lights are on, and should be striving for the NBA Finals MVP award.
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The Golden State Warriors’ chances of winning the NBA Title fall directly on the shoulders of Kevin Durant. This is what he wanted in the end, he put this pressure on himself by leaving the Thunder and heading to the Bay Area. He has to play like he did last night in every single game of the NBA Finals (if they get there) in order to be crowned a champion.