In 2016, the Golden State Warriors were flying high with incredible confidence after a 73-9 regular season record, breaking the Chicago Bulls’ 90s record. On top of that, Stephen Curry became the first unanimous MVP in league history.
It looked like nothing could stop them on their way to defend the title, but then Kevin Durant put them on the ropes. They had no solution for him and in a heartbeat, they found themselves in a 3-1 deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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They managed to come back and showed the true heart of champions and left Durant thinking about what to do next with his free agency that summer.
KD stopped the Cavs from becoming a dynasty
The Warriors’ next round blew a 3-1 lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers and became the first team in NBA history to do so in the Finals. The feelings were mixed after that matchup. They gave everything they had, but it wasn’t enough. That’s where the idea was born — if they wanted to get past LeBron James, they had to find an antidote for the Cavs.
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That’s where KD’s idea came in. As the salary cap increased, the Dubs could pursue the best player on the market. Tyronn Lue, who coached the Cavs at the time, believes that move was a cheat code that prevented Cavs from becoming a dynasty.
“If KD doesn’t go to Golden State, I think we win,” Lue said on the Club Shay Shay podcast. “And I think Kyrie stays, you can’t leave after that. We had a chance to win two or three. I think we had a blueprint on how to beat them.”
Would that really have happened? Well, we will never know. But the fact is that GSW formed maybe the best team in league history. As Lue described it, you have Draymond Green, one of the best passing big men ever, Steph constantly moving and drawing defensive attention, which leaves plenty of open shots for Klay Thompson and KD.
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Kyrie decided to jump ship
Next summer, Kyrie Irving left for the Boston Celtics after a 4-1 loss in the Finals, realizing it would be hard to ever be the first option next to LBJ, and that this Cavs team had reached its ceiling given the newly formed Warriors squad.
“But that’s like another Kobe and Shaq situation.” he said. “I would never let it happen. Like, I begged and pleaded. LeBron was doing an autograph signing with jerseys and stuff for his foundation. So I come sitting next to LeBron.”
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We sitting there, handling the phone, SportsCenter. Kyrie Irving has just been traded to the Boston Celtics. Man, LeBron dropped the marker and just lays back in his chair for about 10 minutes. Doesn’t say a word. Like just pissed off. And LeBron was crushed.” he continued.
It was obvious that Durant’s arrival brought tectonic changes to the league because teams suddenly started thinking about how to match Kerr’s frontcourt. Still, the truth is, there really was no answer. Although the Cavs, even without Irving, booked another Finals rematch the following year, they were outmatched.
As Lue mentions, tactically they had found an answer for Kerr’s squad, who simply had no solutions for anything LeBron and Kyrie threw at them. Considering the Cavs’ dominance in the East and the fact that they reached the Finals the next year even without Irving, Lue’s claim that if KD hadn’t joined, they would have won another title or two has a lot of ground.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.