The inclusion of Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors ahead of the 2016/17 season turned the franchise into the team to beat. Yet, the Dubs faced humiliation on Christmas Day against their then arch-rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers. More than seven years after the defeat, Draymond Green recently reflected on the instance while revealing how it ensured that the Warriors would win the 2017 NBA championship.
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In the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show, the 34-year-old looked back on the roster’s shortcomings at that time. The team failed to properly incorporate Durant in their gameplay by Christmas as the opposition benefited from it. Consequently, the Cavs clinched a 109-108 home victory, resulting in further misery for the Dubs.
The defeat marked a turning point of the season for the Warriors as KD candidly expressed his thoughts to Stephen Curry. As Green recalled, “I remember after the game Kevin telling Steph like, ‘Yo, you don’t have to worry about me…I’m gonna be fine. I’m gonna score basketball. Do what you all do’…That unlocked Steph. That unlocked Kevin. We beat them two weeks later by 50 points”.
Durant’s ability to understand how the spotlight on him was resulting in a diminished output remains exemplary. Hence, his display of self-belief undoubtedly injected confidence into Curry and the rest of the roster as the flow of the team improved dramatically. Soon, this sparked a record-shattering series of performances, that would turn this team into a contender for the strongest NBA team of all time.
How Kevin Durant changed the fate of the Golden State Warriors
The earlier conversation undoubtedly sparked a turnaround, as the Bay Area organization eventually topped the Western Conference with a 67-15 record. Each of the big three, Curry, Durant, and Klay Thompson, recorded over 20 points per game in the regular season. KD’s defensive gameplay also underwent serious improvement as he registered 1.6 blocks and a career-high 8.3 rebounds per game as per ESPN.
Soon after that, they swept all through their conference playoff games to yet again face the Cavs in the NBA Finals. By that time, the Warriors seemed unstoppable as Durant led the charge to ensure a 4-1 series win while earning the Finals MVP award in the process. The franchise also set an NBA record for the best-ever postseason run of 16-1.
Hence, the team only grew from their defeat in Cleveland. It showcased their competitive mindset while setting benchmarks for the rest of the league. That’s why, to this day, the 2016/17 Warriors remain one of the model sides in NBA history.
