Getty Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets warms up before Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center on April 25, 2022 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors accomplished something Thursday night at TD Garden they had achieved only once during their eight-year dynasty run — they won a title without the help of Kevin Durant.
Durant, typically an active participant on social media, kept to himself on Twitter the night of the Dubs’ celebration. However, a couple of commenters drew the two-time NBA Finals MVP out on Friday, June 17, with criticisms of him in the wake of Golden State’s fourth championship.
One user claimed Durant’s legacy died with the Warriors’ victory, to which Durant replied sarcastically with the implication that his legacy was shot, at least in terms of public opinion, the moment he signed in the Bay Area nearly six years ago.
“Kevin Durant’s legacy just died,” @feltbot tweeted. “He’s now just the guy between Harrison Barnes and Andrew Wiggins. The guy who left the Beatles.”
“I been dead since July 4th, 2016,” Durant replied, “but congrats to the dubs and my boy Steezy, a Fillmore legend, man been waitin’ his whole life for a parade on Market St.”
Another Twitter troll posed a loaded question to Durant, throwing shade at the superstar for his behavior across the three seasons Durant spent with Golden State.
“How does it feel to not be loved by any of the fans of the team you won back-to-back titles with, all because you couldn’t help yourself from throwing shade at everyone in the organization whenever the opportunity arose?” @clubkakerou_ tweeted.
“Love will get u killed,” Durant wrote in response.
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Warriors Star Steph Curry Talks About Winning Title Without Durant
GettyStephen Curry (left) and Kevin Durant (right) of the Golden State Warriors on the court during a 2019 playoff bout with the LA Clippers.
Both leading up to the series with the Boston Celtics, and throughout the course of it, pundits and fans bombarded Dubs point guard Steph Curry with inane chatter about a lack of legacy because he had never won an NBA Finals MVP, despite his five previous chances to do so.
That argument conveniently ignored the two regular season MVPs Curry has won, one more than Durant, as well as the star’s willingness to occasionally move into Golden State’s proverbial passenger seat to ensure that the addition of Durant could come off smoothly. The result was three straight trips to the Finals as Durant’s teammate and back-to-back titles that would have almost surely been a three-peat save for devastating injuries to both Durant and Klay Thompson.
Curry put all the ancillary talk to bed, along with Boston’s players and fans, by leading the Warriors to victory in Game 6 and claiming Finals MVP for the first time, checking off the last missing box on a career resumé seemingly destined to rank among the best 10 of all-time.
Curry spoke to his accomplishments, including what it meant to win a title without Durant, after securing the championship Thursday night.
“For sure. You bookend it,” Curry told Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. “That’s part of it. But nobody in October thought we’d be here. Now we are, with this group. Not compared to any group before it, so it’s pretty dope.”
Curry Reflects on Warriors’ Dynasty, Both With Durant And Without
Getty ImagesStephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Now at 34 years old, Curry has played in six NBA Finals and has won four rings. He has a Finals MVP that he earned on the strength of 31.2 points, six rebounds and five assists per game against the Celtics. He has two regular season MVPs and two NBA scoring titles.
And if that weren’t enough, Curry has literally changed the fabric of the sport and how it is played on the world’s biggest stage by being, inarguably, the best shooter anyone has ever seen pick up a basketball.
The scariest thing for opponents, and the most exciting notion for Dubs fans, is that Curry’s time is far from over. Golden State’s superstar reflected on his journey with the Warriors on stage after the game.
“This one hits different.”
Steph reflects after winning Finals MVP
“Just combining our championship pedigree and our experience with some fresh energy, some guys that are really hungry to take that next step,” Curry said to Lisa Salters of ESPN. “But we built this for 10, 11 years. And, that means a whole lot when you get to this stage because you know how to win, and everybody who’s been a part of that knows what it’s about. This one hits different. This one hits different for sure.”
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Kevin Durant Breaks Silence on Warriors’ NBA Finals Win Over Celtics