We lost a 'ship without him and lost a 'ship with him.
The one we lost without him, was due to LBJ crying/NBA FO-MEDIA accommodating with Green suspension for game 5, WHERE we lost BOGUT for rest of series/EZELI already out/Lee left previous year; spoiled the historic season.
The 'ship we lost with him, RAPTORS, he was hurt; we would have won, I believe, without him, had Klay not gotten hurt.
Frankly, I think we had a dynastic team after our second Finals run, that we gutted to get him, that had several runs in its makeup. We won fewer games each season he was here, and, Steph was the accommodating cog that stepped back to allow for KDs awesome one-on-one scoring while the rest of the team cleared out and watched; first season, when he was out for a month, Steph stepped up and secured us home court right up to the last game of the season. He was at his best, as was the team, when he scored 20, dished out 8 assists, and snagged 9 rebounds. We lost more games when he went for 40, than we won, absent Steph. Kerr had to reinvent the chemistry every year with half of the team leaving and coming. Of course, his departure left us scrambling, because outside of the core of STEPH/DRAY/KLAY we had little left from the dynastic team. With Klay's injuries, we have been scrambling; the dynastic run over.
KD is an extraordinary scorer/bball talent, his preferred role; not that he does not excel all-around, i.e., rebound, assist, defend, when it is asked of him/has to. He cannot be, however the cog that carried Warriors Ball, or, any other team he has so far played for; could not do it with Westbrook and Harden at OK, nor, at NETS.
Heck of a three-year run. At their height, they were a sight to behold -- an athletic ballet in high-tops.
I did worry about the lack of depth late in the run, and I tired of the drama off-court. But on the hardwood... my, oh my... I still rue what might have been.
I remember it like it was yesterday! Maniacally refreshing my iPhone. Landing on The Player site frustrated at having to first create an account. Googling wildly to avoid that. Seeing a reporter’s tweet. And then jumping on the bed to wake up my husband who wondered if it was real. And then the joy of the next few years. Oh my.
I was sitting on my computer F5-ing. Of course around the time the article came up, I had to leave the house for some errand I do not remember. The article was up when I returned. Thankfully, I am a speed reader so I quickly read the words "Golden State Warriors" and couldn't believe it.
For me, it was so clear he'd go to Boston that I still think Danny Ainge isn't questioned enough on how he blew that pitch. They already had a playoff team and a hot talent in Jaylen Brown with more picks coming. You could've sold Durant on becoming the next Bill Russell in creating short- and long-term success. Well, we'll never know and our life as Warriors fans was better for it.
Furthermore, I can only fully agree on the whole thing about "breaking" the NBA. After all the mockery, the disappointment of fans on reddit still warms my heart to this day and crushing the postseason in 2017 will probably be amongst the best things I will ever experience as a basketball fan. If we believe KD when he says he wouldn't have joined the Ws had the Finals gone their way, the league sealed its own fate for the next three seasons with the Draymond suspension. As far as I am concerned, they deserved every bit of it. To everyone complaining about how "unfairly stacked" that team was, my response is the same today as it was back in 2016: https://meme.ucoz.net/_nw/0/63253436.jpg (if you forgive the crudeness).
It was the start of a beautiful, star-studded three-year run that shone all the more brightly for its brevity and I can only repeat myself in saying that I am glad that I got to witness it.
I know you won't be reading this, but whatever else awaits you in your career and afterwards: thank you, Kevin, for letting us enjoy all these moments.
I wasn't paying much attention in the offseason at the time, but when I found out it was real I was kind of in denial. And then watching him actually start to play for us I was like, "Is this for real? We get to have *this guy*??" Especially after how HBarnes had let us down in the finals after an otherwise perfect season, upgrading to the Slim Reaper felt too good to be true.
Overall he was a pretty cool dude, did his best to fit into the Bay, played some pretty damn kickass basketball before he moved on. It's too bad his two biggest-name teammates these days are guys I can't root for. Otherwise Brooklyn would have become my Eastern Conference Backup Town.
We lost a 'ship without him and lost a 'ship with him.
The one we lost without him, was due to LBJ crying/NBA FO-MEDIA accommodating with Green suspension for game 5, WHERE we lost BOGUT for rest of series/EZELI already out/Lee left previous year; spoiled the historic season.
The 'ship we lost with him, RAPTORS, he was hurt; we would have won, I believe, without him, had Klay not gotten hurt.
Frankly, I think we had a dynastic team after our second Finals run, that we gutted to get him, that had several runs in its makeup. We won fewer games each season he was here, and, Steph was the accommodating cog that stepped back to allow for KDs awesome one-on-one scoring while the rest of the team cleared out and watched; first season, when he was out for a month, Steph stepped up and secured us home court right up to the last game of the season. He was at his best, as was the team, when he scored 20, dished out 8 assists, and snagged 9 rebounds. We lost more games when he went for 40, than we won, absent Steph. Kerr had to reinvent the chemistry every year with half of the team leaving and coming. Of course, his departure left us scrambling, because outside of the core of STEPH/DRAY/KLAY we had little left from the dynastic team. With Klay's injuries, we have been scrambling; the dynastic run over.
KD is an extraordinary scorer/bball talent, his preferred role; not that he does not excel all-around, i.e., rebound, assist, defend, when it is asked of him/has to. He cannot be, however the cog that carried Warriors Ball, or, any other team he has so far played for; could not do it with Westbrook and Harden at OK, nor, at NETS.
I hope the Curry era warriors get a Last Dance-quality docuseries one day. It would be incredible.
Heck of a three-year run. At their height, they were a sight to behold -- an athletic ballet in high-tops.
I did worry about the lack of depth late in the run, and I tired of the drama off-court. But on the hardwood... my, oh my... I still rue what might have been.
I remember it like it was yesterday! Maniacally refreshing my iPhone. Landing on The Player site frustrated at having to first create an account. Googling wildly to avoid that. Seeing a reporter’s tweet. And then jumping on the bed to wake up my husband who wondered if it was real. And then the joy of the next few years. Oh my.
I was sitting on my computer F5-ing. Of course around the time the article came up, I had to leave the house for some errand I do not remember. The article was up when I returned. Thankfully, I am a speed reader so I quickly read the words "Golden State Warriors" and couldn't believe it.
For me, it was so clear he'd go to Boston that I still think Danny Ainge isn't questioned enough on how he blew that pitch. They already had a playoff team and a hot talent in Jaylen Brown with more picks coming. You could've sold Durant on becoming the next Bill Russell in creating short- and long-term success. Well, we'll never know and our life as Warriors fans was better for it.
Furthermore, I can only fully agree on the whole thing about "breaking" the NBA. After all the mockery, the disappointment of fans on reddit still warms my heart to this day and crushing the postseason in 2017 will probably be amongst the best things I will ever experience as a basketball fan. If we believe KD when he says he wouldn't have joined the Ws had the Finals gone their way, the league sealed its own fate for the next three seasons with the Draymond suspension. As far as I am concerned, they deserved every bit of it. To everyone complaining about how "unfairly stacked" that team was, my response is the same today as it was back in 2016: https://meme.ucoz.net/_nw/0/63253436.jpg (if you forgive the crudeness).
It was the start of a beautiful, star-studded three-year run that shone all the more brightly for its brevity and I can only repeat myself in saying that I am glad that I got to witness it.
I know you won't be reading this, but whatever else awaits you in your career and afterwards: thank you, Kevin, for letting us enjoy all these moments.
I wasn't paying much attention in the offseason at the time, but when I found out it was real I was kind of in denial. And then watching him actually start to play for us I was like, "Is this for real? We get to have *this guy*??" Especially after how HBarnes had let us down in the finals after an otherwise perfect season, upgrading to the Slim Reaper felt too good to be true.
Overall he was a pretty cool dude, did his best to fit into the Bay, played some pretty damn kickass basketball before he moved on. It's too bad his two biggest-name teammates these days are guys I can't root for. Otherwise Brooklyn would have become my Eastern Conference Backup Town.