AP Photo/Ben Margot
Kevin Durant On Fans And Media Pitting Him Against Stephen Curry And The Golden State Warriors: “Let Me Just Enjoy What They’re Doing”
Kevin Durant was an important key to Golden State Warriors’ success during their championship years in 2017 and 2018. The high-caliber offensive forward inserted dominance and put up 28.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game on 51.4% shooting from the field in those two playoff runs.
But Durant left an already great team to form his own with the Nets after the 2019 NBA playoffs, and it didn’t serve him well as the Warriors eventually returned to a familiar stage while they are yet to make the NBA Finals, let alone the Eastern Conference Finals.
Even worse, Durant has been on the receiving end of criticism since the Warriors made an incredible championship run in the recent playoffs. Aside from the popular belief that Durant’s legacy has been tarnished, many believes that the Nets superstar has some jealous feelings over his former team.
The two-time Finals MVP now joined Eddie Gonzalez on “The ETCs with Kevin Durant” to clear up the narratives and the noise between him and his former team. Contrary to what the critics are pushing, Durant said that he enjoyed watching Stephen Curry and the rest of the squad thrive in the recent NBA playoffs.
Per NBC Sports:
“I think since I’ve been in the league, there’s been dialogue about me vs. my teammates, like, me vs. Russell [Westbrook], me vs. Steph and Draymond, me vs. Kyrie [Irving] now and James [Harden],” Durant said. “And a lot of people, when Golden State won, it felt like they went back and said ‘Well, if they won this one, they could have easily won in 2017 and 2018 with somebody other than KD.’ But I’m just like ‘Why somebody other than me? Like, why you just want to pull me from the group?’ Know what I’m saying? So it be irritating to hear that because I just want to watch the game.
“And I also like those dudes. I played basketball with those guys and I was a part of that dynasty that they’re building right now. I didn’t think they had a dynasty until right now, until they won that fourth one. I have some pride, like damn, I was part of something special, even though it was only two championships out of the four, like, s–t, JaVale McGee probably feels the same way I did. David West probably felt the same way I did. We all came in at the same time with the Warriors and we had some amazing times.
“And to see them finish it and continue it, yeah, you have a sense of pride to be part of it, but then you listen to the broadcast and it’s just like well ‘KD should be feeling this way.’ I’m just like ‘Here we go. Like, damn, let me just enjoy what they’re doing instead of pitting me against them’ because I’m always going to take my side.”
