Veteran NBA analyst Skip Bayless cannot thank Kevin Durant enough for saving him from LeBron James, citing that hadn’t the Slim Reaper joined the Warriors, the King would have six championships.
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There is no doubt that the addition of four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant to the 73-9 Warriors made them practically unbeatable. However, Durant had the pressure of the world on him to deliver as soon as he arrived in the Bay Area, considering he made the league lopsided.
KD was the new villain in the league, having joined a team that eliminated him in the 2016 WCF. While the Warriors had the support of Dub Nation, they became one of the most hated teams. The former OKC superstar wanted a ring on his resume, and Golden State was the perfect destination.
In his first season with the Warriors, Durant would cruise to the NBA Finals alongside the Splash Brothers and Draymond Green, where they had King James and Kyrie Irving waiting on the other side. Both the Warriors and KD had some unfinished business left with James.
While Steve Kerr and his men had blown a 3-1 lead in the 2016 Finals, Durant had lost to the Heat in the 2012 Finals. The common factor here being James, who was the Finals MVP in each case.
During a recent episode of his podcast, Skip Bayless expressed his gratitude towards KD for proving most of America wrong, who rooted for him to lose in the Finals.
“If KD hadn’t signed with the Warriors, LeBron James would have six rings”: Skip Bayless.
An ardent critic of James since his high-school days, Bayless never seizes an opportunity to undermine the Lakers superstar in the GOAT debate against Michael Jordan. Nevertheless, the Fox Sports analyst wouldn’t be able to nitpick enough if James 3-peated against the Warriors from 2016-18.
“Kevin Durant saved Steph’s legacy, and frankly he saved me from LeBron James and his billions of blind witnesses out there because KD by himself, he wrecked LeBron’s legacy,” said Bayless.
“If he (Durant) hadn’t said yes to Golden State, isn’t it highly possible that LeBron wins two more championships in 2017-18. What if LeBron James was 6-4 in the NBA Finals right now, he’d have as many as Jordan.”
Considering most of Bayless’ arguments are based on MJ having more rings than James, he would have had a tough time had the latter won two more chips. While Curry might be the favorite child of the Bay Area, KD was the best player on the Warriors roster during his time.
The marriage between the Warriors and KD was a runaway success and could have been the first team to 3-peat since the Lakers in 2002, hadn’t it been for the two-time Finals MVP’s Achilles injury.
