"Kevin Durant is a bitch," I thought while scrolling through teams in NBA 2K17. I’d been wrestling with my own opinion of KD since he decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors this past summer. His decision was understandable at first—he was free to sign where he wanted and it’s tough to turn down an opportunity to play for an organization that's "light years ahead of everybody else." But as I played this season's NBA 2K with my brother for the first time, it became obvious that there are only three legit NBA title contenders: the Cavs, the Warriors, and the Spurs.
A feeling of disgust suddenly washed over me: "I can't believe this chump did Russell Westbrook like that."
Come June, the national conversation might be a lot less about Durant and the dominant Warriors and a lot more about comparing LeBron James to Michael Jordan.
Durant was a win away from reaching the Finals and folded like a lawn chair, and the team he jumped ship for did the very same thing by blowing a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals and essentially rendering their historic 73-win season meaningless. And this made him want to join the Warriors even more? It's clear Russell Westbrook was the Thunder's spiritual and emotional leader, and we didn't even need Enes Kanter to remind us. Durant and Westbrook could've taken over the world together. Durant could've signed a two-year deal with a player option and strapped himself in for one more run at the title in OKC. He's going to regret this decision, word to Kendrick Perkins.
Since then, much has been made of the new-look Warriors, the consensus being that the best regular season team in NBA history somehow managed to get even better. I’m not buying the hype. Golden State will certainly be an offensive juggernaut, but will they be able to stop anybody on defense? Especially in the paint? Zaza Pachulia, David West, and Anderson Varejao are stopping...who exactly? Once players like Kyrie Irving and LeBron James get in the paint, it’s a fucking wrap. Cats will have field days around the basket. Russell Westbrook is going to play kickball and have a picnic when he gets in there.
Look at the defensive stats of the two centers they lost. According to Nylon Calculus (and the SportVU cameras that track each player's every move), Festus Ezeli and Andrew Bogut were two of the top six rim protectors in the league in 2015-16. They were also featured heavily as two of the best in the league at shot contest percentage, points saved per game, and field goal percentage allowed.
The 2016 Warriors were one of the best teams to ever step onto an NBA floor. The team was stacked top to bottom with quality role players. Most of the role players on the 2017 Warriors are washed-up shells of their former selves. When the threes aren't dropping, this year's Golden State team will quickly become human. Leandro Barbosa's instant offense off the bench? Gone. And who's guarding LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan, or Blake Griffin? The Warriors have nobody who can contain those guys. The team is so desperate for big men, Shaqtin' A Fool Hall of Famer JaVale McGee will be getting regular minutes.
Dawg—JaVale McGee.
When those buttholes get tight during the playoffs and the high-octane offense stalls, the thin bottom half of Golden State's roster coupled with the astronomical expectations are going to put never-before-experienced pressure on the Big Four. This year's Warriors are a team put together with iced-out duct tape. And God forbid one of the stars gets injured—they may not make it out of the second round in a deep Western Conference featuring the Clippers and Spurs.
Winning 60-plus games if fully healthy? Probably a safe bet. Getting to the NBA Finals and winning a championship? Not as clear cut as many would lead you to believe.
The 2017 Cavaliers are deeper and already have a head start in terms of team chemistry. Smart money should be on LeBron & Co. repeating. Come June, the national conversation might be a lot less about Durant and the dominant Warriors and a lot more about comparing LeBron James to Michael Jordan.
