Ahead of Kevin Durant playing his first game at Chase Center, Steve Kerr reminisced about his times with Golden State.
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The arrival of KD in the Bay Area signaled the beginning of possibly the greatest superteam in NBA history. KD was at a level that few players in history could’ve matched. The rise in NBA teams’ salary caps in 2016 allowed the Warriors to replace Harrison Barnes with him.
With all due respect to Barnes, that was like replacing a Ford with a Ferrari. The Warriors were already looking marauding for the league as constructed. But the addition of Durant was basically a goodbye to the entire NBA’s championship dreams.
The Warriors established the largest Pythagorean points differential in NBA history during the 2016-17 season. They followed that up with statistically the most dominant postseason run ever, going 16-1 while winning the title. Kevin Durant emasculated LeBron James on defense in the Finals to win his first Finals MVP trophy.
Steve Kerr showers Kevin Durant with praise for his play in Warriors era
Stephen Curry, who was the orchestrator and the glue for the whole Warriors offense in the KD era, understood what Durant did for them. “It was some of the best basketball that I think the world has ever seen,” said Curry.
Steph — on how he’ll remember KD’s three years with the Warriors: “It was some of the best basketball that I think the world has ever seen.”
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) February 12, 2021
Steve Kerr echoed these sentiments: “I remember a level of basketball that I don’t think has ever been reached before.”
Kerr echoing a similar sentiment to Curry — when asked what he’ll remember most from the three KD Warriors years: “I remember a level of basketball that I don’t think has ever been reached before.”
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) February 13, 2021
It truly was a sight to behold when the Warriors offense hummed along in those 3 seasons. Not only did they display individual skill like no one else, but the team was also a paradigm of unselfish, winning basketball all-in-all.