Whether you agree with his decision to join the Warriors or not, there is no denying the success that Brooklyn Nets‘ forward Kevin Durant enjoyed during his time with Golden State.
Durant’s three years alone with the Warriors may have secured his spot in the Hall of Fame. Playing in three NBA Finals while winning two Finals MVP awards along the way is something that most can only dream of. Although the saying goes that winning cures everything, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes that sometimes it is more fun to lose.
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Steve Kerr Sounds off on KD’s Last Season With the Warriors
“I enjoyed last season — when we had the worst record in the league — more than I enjoyed that last season when we went to the Finals,” Kerr said to Logan Murdock and Raja Bell on The Ringer’s Real Ones podcast via Yahoo.
The Warriors came into the 2019-20 season knowing that it would be a tough year after losing Durant to free agency and Klay Thompson for the year after he tore his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. It did not make things any easier when two-time MVP Steph Curry broke his hand just three games into the season. Golden State was clearly destined for a soft rebuild.
“We had young guys last year who were trying every day, working hard. We had a great energy, great spirit, great camaraderie. Losing sucked. But what you want is a good vibe,” Kerr continued.
“You want to look forward to going to the gym every day and seeing everybody. That last year was tough — when we lost to [the] Toronto [Raptors] in the Finals. There was a lot going on, some that you know about and some that you do not. That was very difficult.”
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KD Wants To Duplicate the Success He Had in Golden State
Durant had a short and direct response to Kerr’s comments about his last season with the Warriors.
“This is hilarious,” said KD.
@DrewShiller @loganmmurdock This is hilarious
While the pressure of being expected to win is not something that comes easy, Kerr saying he had more fun playing for the lottery is entering dangerous territory.
The expectation to win is something that Durant has always embraced; it is part of the reason that he came to the Brooklyn Nets.
Even before James Harden coming to Brooklyn was a possibility, joining Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn with a young Nets team on the rise meant that KD would be expected to at least make it to the NBA Finals with LeBron James now in the Western Conference.
Even now that the Nets have a super team, KD is still facing some of the same turmoil that he faced during his time in Golden State. The Nets’ defense has been a question all season, the roster has been a constant carousel, COVID-19 has plagued the entire league, and Durant has dealt with a lingering injury himself.
Even with all the drama that has surrounded the Nets’ soap opera this year, Durant is still overjoyed that he chose to be apart of a winning squad because at the end of the day there is nothing that a winner relishes more than the opportunity to compete for a championship.
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Kevin Durant & Steve Kerr Have War of Words About His Warriors Finale