6/8/2017 Stop Comparing Kevin Durant's Arrival in Golden State to LeBron's Arrival in Miami.Read NowKD's Situation is MUCH Different from LeBron's. Enough with the Comparisons.It is June 8th, 2017, and the NBA Finals have been an interesting series to watch. After all, it's the most anticipated NBA Finals in years, if not decades. Unfortunately, it hasn't been as entertaining as many other recent NBA Finals series, including last year's legendary 3-1 comeback led by LeBron James. This time around, the Golden State Warriors have DOMINATED this series. Game 1? 113-91, Warriors. Game 2? 132-113, Warriors. Game 3? 118-113, Warriors. Arguably the greatest contributor to the Warriors success, Kevin Durant is often blamed for "ruining" the competitiveness of the Finals this year. He departed from Oklahoma City and signed a two-year/$54 million contract with the Golden State Warriors. After all, he IS a former MVP who just joined Stephen Curry (another former MVP), Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Zaza Pachulia. Yeah, the Warriors are STACKED, and it's shown through their performances in this year's Finals. Because of their dominance, people often compare them to the legendary Miami Heat teams of years past who were led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. That is completely understandable. It's okay to compare the two teams. We're human, after all. It's in our nature to compare teams that seem similar to each other. The Warriors have been led by three definite future Hall-of-famers: Steph, KD, and Klay, and the Heat teams of years past have also been led by three definite Hall-of-famers listed earlier. The Heat won NBA titles because of the trio in 2012 and 2013 before LeBron left for Cleveland and Wade left for Chicago, and it is highly likely that the Warriors will win just as many if not more in the future. HOWEVER, the circumstances were different for Kevin Durant in 2016 and LeBron James in 2010. Before LeBron James arrived to Miami in 2010, the Heat's record was 47-35. They did make the playoffs, but they were eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. When Kevin Durant arrived to Golden State, the Warriors were fresh off a historic 73-9 season and were one game away from being the 2015-2016 NBA champions. Then, we ALL know what happened (cue the 3-1 lead jokes). It wasn't like the Warriors weren't already an amazing ensemble. They would probably be in the Finals again this year, with or without KD. Now that Kevin Durant is on the Warriors, it seems as though they can't be beaten in the NBA Championship for years to come. Let's also not forget one VERY important thing to mention when it comes to comparing LeBron and Kevin Durant's situations: Kevin Durant joined the team that prevented him from going to the NBA Finals. LeBron didn't. Durant's former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, were also one game away from playing the Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals, and it wasn't like Durant didn't have help. He had Russell Westbrook, who is easily one of the best players in the NBA. Durant just didn't deliver for the Thunder, and they lost to the eventual NBA Champion, the Golden State Warriors. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" That's exactly what Durant did when he went to an already great Warriors team. When LeBron left Cleveland, he didn't go to the team that beat him, the Boston Celtics. Remember that team? The one with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett? Imagine LeBron James on THAT team. Imagine the public reaction to such a decision. However, LeBron didn't do that. He went to another team in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat, and eventually beat that Celtics team on his journey to winning two NBA Championships. We need to stop comparing the situations of KD and LeBron. It could all be so simple. We could acknowledge that when LeBron left for Miami, it was completely different from Kevin Durant's arrival to Golden State. There's nothing wrong with that. Maybe their departures from their original teams affected their legacies in negative ways, but they were still under different circumstances. We'll see how Durant's run with the Warriors plays out, but until then, there shouldn't be comparisons between him and LeBron. It's a ridiculous and false comparison for people to make, and it should be silenced. Will Durant win a ring as a result of his big decision? We'll find out on Game 4 of the NBA Finals tomorrow at 8 PM EST on ABC!
1 Comment
Kaiser
6/8/2017 06:16:42 pm
Interesting read. Ultimately, the moves can be validly compared with regard to the fact that they were both elite athletes seeking to improve their chances at reaching the ultimate prize in the league. It's also fair to compare because they did the same thing, from a business standpoint. I can't imagine the athlete who looks at a roster and decides, "no, this team has too much talent. I want to work harder". I feel its ok to make the comparisons, however, I find error in concluding the moves were completely the same. The long and the short is the Thunder's front office surrounded KD with a talented group, who had a legitimate shot at being competitive. The Cavs made no significant moves after 7 years of dedication and hard work on Lebrons part to truly compete with the west. This is the main difference in their choices as players.
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