For the last couple of months and maybe for the entirety of the 2016/17 NBA season; pundits, analysts, stakeholders and fans of the game had been looking forward to and expecting a showdown and absolute classic of a final between the team from the east led by the hailed king and supposed best player of this generation; LeBron James, with probably the best supporting cast he's had in his 14 year career and the rampant mob from the west boasting of 4 All-Star players, any of which could single-handedly take over a game and deliver the W.
Last summer, the sports world was rocked by the news of a certain former MVP and four-time scoring champion and arguably one of the greatest talents to ever set foot on a professional court joining forces with a 73-9 Warriors team that showed no signs of deterioration but only of continued and prolonged dominance and improvement. The circumstances under which he left his former team and this year's MVP, Russell Westbrook, had most people thinking the worst of him from a competitive standpoint but after the finals and his pretty remarkable performances, some people definitely may have revisited their views. Undeniably, KD took the “easiest” route to the most prized possession in the association and although respect from his peers and fans has waned, his delivery on the court seems to have only gotten better. His chemistry with the new squad and the sweet harmony of their musical play has earned "greatest of all time" comparisons; comparisons that may not be far-fetched at all.
After The King packed bag and baggage in 2010 for the sunny beaches of Miami, effectively shrugging a whole city that had travelled to the promised land off his shoulders and united with two all-time NBA greats at the peak of their powers; many critics said he simply couldn’t handle the pressure. That like a certain EasyMoneySniper, he had taken the easy way out and could burn in the very flames he was seeking for all they cared (images of Cleveland fans burning his jersey stands out as one of basketball’s funniest ironies in my view). Fast forward two years later, he would be competing in his second consecutive finals and would quite easily do away with a very young but abundantly talented Oklahoma City Thunder team. Fast forward another four years and on July 4, 2016; the league would have a new villain; a better one if you ask me.
Kevin Durant would go on along with his 3 new All-Star friends to completely dominate LeBron’s Cavaliers in pretty identical fashion, beating them in 5 games and winning Finals MVP laurels after an impeccable display of basketball greatness. LeBron was able to pull of a prodigal son story in extraordinary fashion and not a single soul in Cleveland could care less about “The Decision”. Kevin Durant on the other hand would forever be hated by Thunder fans unless he miraculously (and trust me there is no suitable word), goes back to Oklahoma City.
The effects of KD’s decision have forever changed the course of the NBA. Paul George to the Thunder, Chris Paul partnering with James Harden, Gordon Hayward reuniting with Brad Stevens and Jimmy Butler effectively making wolves scarier than we’re used to; have all been domino effects of the Warriors sheer class and supremacy. The league, or should I say, the West is looking to be the most competitive we’ve ever seen and there’s only one man to thank for that; Kevin Wayne Durant. Love or hate you cannot debate, the man has altered the game forever and the choice is yours as to what he is, hero or villain.
- - Salem N.K Arthur
