The moment the buzzer sounded after the Oklahoma City Thunder failed to put the Golden State Warriors out of their misery in the Western Conference Finals, allowing the defending champs to overcome a 3-1 deficit and make it to their second consecutive Finals appearance, Kevin Durant was as good as gone. But where he would decide to take his talents was anybodies guess, with meetings scheduled with the Warriors, Spurs, Clipppers, Celtics, Heat and of course the Thunder. Sure the idea to team up in the Bay Area with Steph Curry and company was a logical one, but we didn't think it would actually happen. Whether it be financial problems or just plain old chemistry issues due to adding yet another superstar to a squad that already has three, KD to Golden State -- the team that just handed him and the Thunder franchise arguably their most crushing defeat, wins the Durant sweepstakes and hands Oklahoma City yet another punch to the gut. But hey, at least Durant was courteous enough to announce his decision on the Fourth of July, making it easier for the pyro's living in Oklahoma to burn their jersey's.
With the salary cap increasing by $24 Million this offseason, the timing was perfect for the Warriors, enabling them to acquire another superstar talent to add to their already star-studded lineup. After setting a record for the most wins in a regular season with 74, the Warriors now have a chance to be even greater than they were in 2015-16, thanks to the signing of Durant. Not to mention Oklahoma City, one of Golden State's biggest threats out west, is now hampered with the departure of their former MVP. With the signing of Durant who agreed to a 2 year, $54.3 Million deal with a player option after the first year, now come the lofty expectations of delivering a championship, something Durant has come close to, four years removed from his only NBA Finals appearance, but has yet to accomplish. Anything short of back-to-back titles for Golden State in 2015-16 was already deemed a failure considering their record-setting regular season, but the pressure to deliver a title will be even higher this coming season. After blowing a 3-1 lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals for the first time ever, head coach Steve Kerr knew work needed to be done and adjustments needed to be made in order to climb back to the hilltop of greatness and become champions once again. Landing Durant was their answer.
While many criticized LeBron James in the summer of 2010 for making the unpopular decision to leave the Cavs for the sunny beaches of Miami, Durant's decision has also had its fair share of critics, but nowhere near the magnitude of LeBron's. In some ways it's worse and in others it's not quite on par on the hate-o-meter and here's why. James' decision was not only criticized because he left his home state of Ohio, but because the manner in which he made it. As if announcing in front of a live television crew that he would take his talents to South Beach didn't rub people the wrong way, his WWE-like introduction alongside best friend Dwayne Wade and All-Star teammate Chris Bosh where he told the world they would win "not five, not six, not seven..." NBA titles, sealed the deal for most people. But Durant isn't leaving the area in which he was born and raised in, nor was he brought up and brought in to be the savior out of high school like James was.
As for a few reason's it's just as bad if not worse, Kevin Durant is all Oklahoma City fans have ever known. Since being drafted in 2007 by the Thunder, known then as the Seattle SuperSonics, OKC fans have watched Durant grow and develop into one of the game's elite players right before their very eyes. He now leaves them to chase a ring, joining the enemy in the process. And unlike Cleveland's situation when LeBron left, the Thunder are the only major sports franchise in the city (hell, in the state for that matter) which is why they've been so loyal and invested in the team since relocating from Seattle. Durant's contributions inside the Oklahoma City community will never be forgotten, but I think it's safe to say he'll be showered with boo's every time he touches the ball when the Warriors pay a visit to Chesapeake Arena next season. To their credit, the Thunder franchise and their fans were a little more prepared for life after Durant than Cleveland was when LeBron left the Cavs. It wasn't for a lack of help as was the case in Cleveland, but with former Sixth Man of the Year James Harden long gone and both Durant and Serge Ibaka now out the door, the 2016-17 Oklahoma City Thunder will be an entirely different team than the one that made it's lone NBA Finals appearance in 2012 as the reigns are now handed to Russell Westbrook who's departure from the franchise may be next.
With the future of fellow superstar and teammate of Durant's for eight seasons, Russell Westbrook also uncertain, who will become a free-agent following next season, Durant wasn't exactly promised that his sidekick and partner in crime would be there after next season had he re-signed long-term with OKC. While the possibility of Durant returning to the Thunder the same way LeBron did the Cavs, could present itself say if Golden State wins a title in Durant's first year with the team, he may want to consider being a Warrior for the long haul seeing as they have the potential to be even better than the Heat were when James, Wade, Bosh and Ray Allen teamed up in Miami. With Durant, Curry, Thompson and Green all under the age of 29, younger than Wade was when Miami's super team was formed in 2010, Durant could be part of a dynasty for many seasons to come if he chooses to stay with the Warriors past this season. With an Olympic gold medal, Rookie of the Year Award, four NBA-scoring titles, seven All-Star appearances and an MVP Award to show for, the only thing missing in Durant's trophy case is an NBA title. And for the first time in his career, he'll be on a team that's the odds on favorite to win it all and add to that case heading into the season.
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Cleveland sports fans rejoice! For the first time in 50+ years, it doesn't suck being a sports fan living in Cleveland now that the Cavaliers have pulled off the unthinkable by winning three straight against the vaunted Golden State Warriors to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy and bring Cleveland its first championship (of any kind) since 1964. With their backs against the wall, LeBron James and company rallied to become the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals. Against a Golden State team that compiled the best regular season record of all-time no less. Although they needed a little bit of luck and perseverance to get the job done, it took an all-time great series from LeBron James to complete the comeback as the one they call, "King James" registered only the third triple-double ever in an NBA Finals game 7 and became the first player to ever lead a series in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. While many including myself thought LeBron James was on the decline, he proved otherwise with what just might go down as the greatest series performance in an NBA Finals. Though he only had 27-points in the decisive game 7, he logged 41-points in games 5 & 6, including a 41-point outburst by both James and teammate Kyrie Irving as the two became the first duo in Finals history to each score 40-points or more in a single game.
LeBron did it all as evident of his statistical dominance. His most remarkable feat of the night, however, just might be the chase down block he had on Andre Iguodala. With the game tied at 89-89, Golden State appeared to be on their way to a 2-point lead with just under two minutes remaining when Steph Curry and Iguodala had J.R. Smith all alone on a two on one fast-break. And then out of the shadows soaring from behind, racing in full speed was James who swatted both the ball and any hopes the Warriors had left, like he's done so often throughout his career. But this time was different. It was almost as if Golden State had the air knocked out of them following what I'll always refer to as, "the block heard round the world." The play that will go down as one of the greatest defensive plays in NBA Finals history rattled the Warriors who were unable to score a another basket. Lock down defense by the Cavs coupled with poor shot selection from the Warriors doomed the defending champs who suddenly went dry from the floor and failed to score a single basket in the final 4 minutes and 39 seconds. The shots that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson couldn't seem to miss during the regular season, suddenly stopped falling when it mattered most on the biggest of stages and under the brightest of lights as the two combined to shoot a woeful 12-for-36 from the field.
Following their inability to closeout the series at home in Game 5, the pressure on Golden State only mounted more and more after each failure, meanwhile the confidence inside the Cavs locker room only grew. But with a Game 7 to be played on their home court, even the Warriors never worried too much and they didn't have much reason to, seeing as no home team had failed to reign victorious in a game 7 since 1978 and the Warriors hadn't lost three straight games all year. But with a chance to deliver the state of Ohio its first ever NBA Championship, something he's dreamed of doing since entering the league in 2003, LeBron made it his sole mission to deliver on that promise, playing like a man possessed as Golden State's first 3-game losing-streak of the season came at the worst time possible. His teammates also came through in the most trying of times, whether it was Kevin Love's lock down defense on Steph Curry in crunch time with just seconds remaining or Kyrie Irving's clutch three-pointer in the final minute that broke a tie and gave Cleveland the lead for good. It all amounted to a 93-89 victory that resulted in the Cavs becoming only the fourth team to ever win it all in the same year in which they replaced their head coach mid-season when assistant coach Tyronn Lue took over for the departed David Blatt who was fired in late January.
Had it been the Warriors who won in the franchise's first ever Finals game 7, it might have been Draymond Green who we're talking about and praising here. While I could spend plenty of time criticizing the league's questionable decision to suspend Green for his tussle with James and use that as the turning point as to why Golden State collapsed or Cleveland came alive, I'm not going to discredit the Cavs for pulling off their remarkable comeback. After missing Game 5 due to a suspension for having committed four flagrant fouls during the playoffs, Green came out firing on all cylinders in game 7, lighting up the first half and knocking down 11 of 15 shots, including 6 of 8 from behind the arch and finishing an assist shy of a triple-double with a game-high 32-points. However, it wasn't enough as his blazing start fizzled out down the stretch. The loss now begs the question, where do the Warriors go from here? With Harrison Barnes expected to test the free-agent market and likely out the door with a huge payday coming his way, could fellow free-agent Kevin Durant be the answer? Would he even be a good fit in Golden State where there's already two prolific scorers in place? Sure he's shared the same court as Russell Westbrook and James Harden who have evolved into some of the best scorers in the league, but those were both two players he developed alongside since debuting in the league. While those questions are yet to be answered and remain as possibilities at this point, what we do know is that coach Kerr's team can't be any better during the regular season than they were in 2016, nor do they need to be since they won't be chasing a meaningless record this time around and can actually rest down the stretch if need be. They've also proven that they are in fact beatable as evident by what happened in the Finals.
Now that the Warriors have failed to highlight their record-setting regular season with a championship, will their historic run now be remembered in the same light as the New England Patriots' 18-1 run in 2007 when they failed to finish the season perfect and were upset in the Super Bowl by the New York Giants? Yes or no, one thing is certain -- that they'll no longer be considered the greatest team of all-time, simply because they couldn't capitalize on their home court in a deciding game 7. As for the champs and their leader who continues to cement his legacy among the game's all-time greats, the adage of Cleveland being a bunch of losers can now be lifted as their championship drought has finally ended some 56 years later. Also worth noting is that LeBron is officially a free man now that he's delivered on his promise. If he decides he wants to leave the Cavs to pursue other endeavors like playing for the Lakers or Knicks, the city of Cleveland could never hate him or burn his jerseys like they did the first time he left them for the sunny beaches of Miami, simply because he brought the starving city of Cleveland a title. Not that I think it'll happen, but if it did, he's earned the right to do whatever he pleases without the state-wide witch hunt and death threats. Personally, I think he's there to stay and isn't quite finished with how he plans to leave Cleveland's trophy case looking when his career is all said and done.
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