The Golden State Warriors are now two wins away from their fourth NBA championship in eight years after defeating the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday.
Stephen Curry got the Warriors the win with one of the better individual performances in Finals history, scoring 43 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
But if they win it all, it’s going to be through hard work rather than coming off as a piece of art.
One thing the Warriors lack is size, as well as someone who they can throw the ball to inside when the game slows down in order to get them a score one-on-one.
In other words, they could use Kevin Durant.
When you realize you need Kevin Durant: pic.twitter.com/r4cE9oAct6
— ᵂᴵᴸᴸ (@BiasedHouston) June 9, 2022
Durant’s current team, the Brooklyn Nets, are facing a summer of tough decisions, and there is a possibility that his first mate Kyrie Irving could leave.
In other words, Durant should’ve stayed with the Warriors.
The Warriors Have Their Hands Full
Many feel that thus far, the Celtics are the more physically gifted team, and it has resulted in the Warriors having to work very hard to get even half-decent looks at the basket.
It is shades of what happened the last time they reached the championship series in 2019, when Durant missed all but a portion of Game 5, making Curry and company have to pull teeth in order to score.
The NBA playoffs, and especially the Finals, are all about superstars, as teams focus more on defense and coaches make adjustments as a series drags on that make open shots in the set offense about as frequent as thunderstorms in the Bay Area.
Golden State has had to dig deep into its offensive sets in order to get shots, and Curry and Klay Thompson have had to hit many difficult shots in order to give their team even a chance of winning.
Quite often, it has seemed like the Celtics have had an easier time getting decent looks, especially since the Warriors’ feared running game has come and gone.
If Durant were still on the Warriors in place of, say, Andrew Wiggins (not to disrespect Wiggins though, as he has played well in this series), they may be up 3-1 right now.
Durant’s ability to shoot over the top, get to the basket, and make plays for others would’ve softened up the Celtics’ defense and given them a lot more to be concerned about.
5 YEARS AGO TODAY
Kevin Durant drops 39 PTS (14/20 FG) & wins his first NBA Championship & Finals MVP! pic.twitter.com/eMWhNkmYmf— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 12, 2022
Durant’s Team Seems To Be Coming Apart At The Seams
When Durant joined Irving in Brooklyn nearly three years ago, many thought it would only be a matter of time before they earned themselves another world championship ring.
Instead, they haven’t even reached the Eastern Conference Finals yet.
Irving has proven to be unreliable and perhaps not fully committed to basketball, and the same could be said of newcomer Ben Simmons, who also recently underwent back surgery.
Irving can become a free agent next month, which means he may be wearing a different uniform this fall, which would mean that Durant can kiss his hopes of a third championship ring goodbye.
But if he had stayed with the Warriors, that third ring would’ve been within sight, and perhaps a fourth ring in the near future may have been a likelihood as well.
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