Despite the negative media around Kevin Durant, he is still the best player in the playoffs. And the Golden State Warriors are a lock to win the title this year
Even after losing at home to the Los Angeles Clippers and only taking eight shots in Game 2, Kevin Durant didn’t lose his confidence.
"[via Sporting News]“I am not going to get in the way of the game because I want to have a back and forth with Patrick Beverley. I am Kevin Durant. You know who I am. Y’all know who I am.”"
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And why should he? He is Kevin Durant. According to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr,
"“Kevin Durant is one of the skilled basketball players on earth”"
A few seasons ago, the Golden State Warriors seemed unbeatable. The 73-9 Warriors team that shattered the 1996 Chicago Bulls regular season record for the most number of wins during the regular season added arguably the second best player in the NBA in Kevin Durant. To many, the Warriors were the greatest NBA team ever.
KD’s move to GSW arguably shaped the NBA more than any move by any player in the history of the NBA. This is undoubtedly due to his offensive prowess. As Brian Windhorst on ESPN’s The Jump mentioned earlier this week,
"“Honestly, he is probably the most unguardable single player I have ever seen. Even Harden as good as he is does it with the dribble…the only thing that can stop him is Kevin Durant.”"
In a matchup between the Clippers and Warriors during the regular season, Stephen Curry scored 42 points game against the Clippers and averaged 32.3 points on 54 percent shooting from the field. Similarly, KD has averaged 27 points per game against the Clippers this season and 29.5 against the Clippers at Oracle.
Patrick Beverley could have been put on Stephen Curry, who killed the Clippers during the regular season. Instead, Patrick Beverley’s nuisance was put solely on KD since of Stephen Curry from the beginning of the series.
KD’s dominance was on full display in Game 3 when the Warriors ran through the Clippers at home. There was nothing the Clippers could do to stop KD once he started being aggressive on the offensive end of the court. KD in 30 minutes scored 38 points on over 60 percent shooting from the field. He tied the NBA playoff record for the most points in playoff game with fewer than 30 minutes or fewer since 1955 shot clock era started.
And who did he tie for the record? His teammate Stephen Curry.
The Warriors arguably feature two of the greatest offensive forces in the history of the NBA playoffs on the same team. Additionally, the Warriors have Klay Thompson. NBA fans often forget how good Klay Thompson can play. Klay Thompson in the 2016 playoffs averaged 24.3 points per game and shot 42.3 percent from 3. He is recognized as maybe the second greatest shooter of all-time.
And what about Draymond? Draymond Green averaged 14 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game before KD got to the Warriors. While having a 49 percent from the field and shooting 38.8 percent from 3. He was the first player in NBA history to average over seven assists per game while winning defensive player of the year. So far in the playoffs, Draymond is averaging 13 points and 8.7 assists on nearly a 50 percent from the field.
On any of the other Western Conference playoff team, Draymond and Klay Thompson would easily be the second best player on those teams and the best player on some of the teams.
In fact, this year the Warriors face their easiest road to the NBA Finals. This season, they will have home-court over the Rockets in the second round. And while the Clippers are a tough 8th seed, last year without Stephen Curry they were up against the 7th ranked Spurs in the first round.
Moreover, this year in the Conference Finals they will have home-court advantage and of the four takes (Denver, OKC, Spurs, Portland) they could face, none of them are as good as the Rockets were last year. Last season the Warriors had to take on the Pelicans with AD, Rondo, and Jrue Holiday. And none of the Eastern Conference teams feature teams with significant playoffs or finals experience.
Despite all of the talk around the league, Kevin Durant is still Kevin Durant and the Golden StateWarriors are a lock to win the title this year.