Kevin Durant Joined the Warriors to Rid Himself of the BasedGod's Curse

What else has to happen for you to take the BaseGod's Curse seriously?

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Complex Original

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Kevin Durant’s journey to the Bay area actually began way back on January 29, 2011. Young KD was somewhat of a 140-character savant back in the Wild West days of Twitter. Back in the days when a young athlete could roast someone for the hell of it and not make the news, KD was one of the best. He’s since been less active on the social media site, which a logical person would probably attribute to branding concerns. Or, if you’re like me, you’d attribute his change in tone to a tweet he sent questioning Lil B’s relevancy on one fateful afternoon in 2011.

The Basedgod’s Curse set off a series of events that are hard to ignore. The Oklahoma City Thunder lost in the 2011 Western Conference Finals, lost the very next year to the LeBron’s Miami Heat Super Friends, then Russell Westbrook and KD weren’t healthy together again until the 2016 season. The Thunder struggled in the fourth quarter mightily last year, yet after a few close playoff wins seemed to be finally exorcizing those demons. That is, until Lil B reminded the world that the curse was still on right before the 2016 Western Conference Finals began (and after it ended):

Russ didn’t help any with his willful ignorance in a 2015 GQ interview where he claimed to never have heard of Lil B, which prompted the rapper to confusingly (and hilariously) compare Russ to a sandwich. The Thunder would later blow a 3-1 lead to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals and, adding insult to injury, would also lose Durant to those same Warriors in free agency.

Kevin Durant didn’t sign with Golden State to ring chase, he signed with them to rid himself of one of the most diabolical curses in sports history. And it worked.

Can you blame him? Things aren’t looking too good for the other guys on Lil B’s list. James Harden and Russell Westbrook have the BaseGod’s Curse hanging over their heads (as does D'Angelo Russell), something Durant understandably no longer wants any parts of. The Houston Rockets went from a championship contender to an afterthought in one year because Harden took Lil B’s influential cooking dance without paying homage. Now Harden has Mike D’Antoni as his head coach and no Dwight Howard to blame for his team's problems. The Oklahoma City Thunder went from being one game away from a finals appearance and one of the best teams in the league to an afterthought.

Like most sports curses, things happen that slowly make you believe in their power. Bill Buckner’s World Series error, Steve Bartman’s foul ball interference, the Thunder giving up a 3-1 lead, etc. all had that effect on players and fans alike. Those “coincidental” occurrences added to the mythology and legitimacy of their respective curses. After all, these curses are only as real as we make them. Once we allow the "coincidences" to turn into "examples," it starts to become a constant battle between positive and negative thoughts.

What will Westbrook and Harden have to do to redeem themselves in the eyes of the Based One? I would imagine it would be as simple as acknowledging Lil B’s contributions to the game, but that seems like pie in the sky at this point. Something tells me they’ll wait until it’s too late and find themselves doing something as drastic as KD did when he switched uniforms.

Durant’s decision to humble himself enough to sign with his greatest competition after they just eliminated him from the playoffs is everything the BasedGod stands for. Lil B is but a vehicle. The BasedGod speaks through him to us and has proven to be a merciful god of the people. Kevin Durant will lead the Warriors back to glory with the help of an MVP-caliber season.

You can doubt the BasedGod's power if you dare, although KD's choice to join Golden State should only strengthen your belief in his power. Durant turned himself into a villain to break free from the negative mojo; Westbrook and Harden will hopefully pay attention and take the necessary steps to change their fates as well.

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