The Golden State Warriors just beat the Houston Rockets in overtime, and the most interesting thing about it isn\u2019t the win. It\u2019s who won it.<\/p>\n
And last night there was no *takes a deep breath* StephJimmyKristapsMoses. This was Brandin Podziemski and Gui Santos and De\u2019Anthony Melton and Al Horford and Draymond Green walking into Toyota Center shorthanded, undermanned, and completely unbothered. Against the team they had humiliated in a first round upset last year, after humiliating them throughout the entire James Harden era.<\/p>\n
And when you really sit with that, a question starts forming that is bigger than one game: who exactly are the Golden State Warriors winning with? And the answer is directly connected to who they\u2019ve decided they can win without.<\/p>\n
I feel fairly confident to say nobody understands that better than Kevin Durant, who has spent the better part of a decade serving as one of the most transformative figures in Warriors history.<\/p>\n
Think about everything he gave this franchise in that jersey! He arrived in 2016 as the most audacious free agent signing in NBA history and immediately made Golden State into something the league had never seen before: the league\u2019s version of a flying death machine. He willed the Warriors two championships and won back-to-back Finals MVP\u2019s by burying the LeBron James \u201cCleveland This is For You!\u201d era Cavaliers deep under Oracle Arena where their souls will forever rest. KD had nights with the Warriors where he was so good it felt unfair to even watch. I owe much of my satisfaction in journalism to covering the Warriors at their absolute apex when KD and those monsters were going from city to city either converting stunned enemy fans to join Dub Nation or embarrassing them into submission. The day they unveil his statue in deep East Oakland (he never played in San Francisco as a Warrior) I will be there in the front row, clapping and selling mixtapes.<\/p>\n
But most importantly, let\u2019s never forget that off the court Durant poured himself into the Bay Area community with the kind of generosity that doesn\u2019t make headlines because it isn\u2019t performed for cameras. I truly believe Kevin Durant loved this place, and this place loved him back, and that will never change. Never forget he literally helped build Chase Center with his bare hands.<\/p>\n
But here is the thing about KD and the Warriors. His relationship to helping the Warriors win spans cities, jerseys, and even a full decade of time. Was it not 10 years ago that KD helped the Dubs win what the NBA called The Greatest Regular Season Game ever, also known as the Double Bang Game? KD stepped up for the Dubs in the clutch: with 14 seconds left and Oklahoma City clinging to a tiny lead, he threw a prayer to half court that Golden State intercepted. Then he fouled Iguodala, who swished the ensuing free throws with ease to send the game into overtime. Then Durant fouled out in OT, which as Draymond alluded to in the documentary,<\/a> basically guaranteed the Thunder were going to lose. TO THE VIEWING GLOBE:<\/p>\n But on Thursday did you see the Durantula try to dagger De\u2019Anthony Melton with one of those cold blooded three-point shot attempts that only he has mastered? With the game on the line? Man, it was one of those insane deep launches he does where it doesn\u2019t matter who is in his face. He\u2019s the 7-foot superhuman who catapults the ball from an unblockable height, and you just gotta hold your breath as it hurtles toward the inevitable bottom of the basket. It\u2019s basically unguardable; ask Cleveland.<\/p>\n This time though thankfully Melton fouled him and knocked off the trajectory of the potentially tying shot, sending KD aka Slim Reaper to the charity stripe, down three points at home. He sank the first, splashed the second. The score, 113-112 Warriors. Next FT ties. Kevin rimmed out the tying free throw attempt and the Warriors recovered.<\/p>\n The gasp from the crowd signified in their heart of hearts it wasn\u2019t just a missed free throw to tie the game. Nooo no this was the latest bit of proof that apparently the Houston Rockets just don\u2019t deserve to beat the Dubs as long as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr are breathing air.<\/a><\/p>\n The Warriors had their signature win of the season, wounded and in enemy territory against a franchise that truly has severe GSW related trauma. And that hometeam was led by the superstar who left Golden State in the middle of a dynasty.<\/p>\n