- Kevin Durant recently admitted he started isolating himself after his infamous altercation with Draymond Green in 2018
- The altercation had stemmed from Green not passing Durant the ball and then failing to get a shot off at the end of regulation against the Clippers
- One of the reasons Green couldn’t pass or shoot the ball was because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had swiped at it
The Golden State Warriors were an unstoppable juggernaut when Kevin Durant was within their ranks. They won the title in each of his first two seasons, but things went south in his third campaign, as he and Draymond Green had infamously gotten into an altercation at the end of a game against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018
Many viewed it as the beginning of the end of Durant’s time with the team and KD recently admitted he started isolating himself from his teammates after that. In response, an NBA analyst quipped that we have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to thank for ending the Warriors superteam.
“With one swipe at the ball, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander saved the rest of the league from another 4 years of KD/Steph”
With one swipe at the ball, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander saved the rest of the league from another 4 years of KD/Steph https://t.co/k5ljU0DyPf
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) July 29, 2023
It often gets lost considering everything else that happened, but the reason Green failed to get a shot off there, was, in part, because Shai had swiped at the ball. It led to Draymond losing control of it and the game then went to overtime. Had Green or whoever he passed the ball to made that shot, then there might not have been an argument on the bench between him and Durant.
Maybe they might have been teammates even today and if that was the case. they’d have probably won every single season except for 2019-20 when Durant was out with a torn Achilles. It’s also possible though that KD would have left even without this as you’d think this was just one of the reasons why he felt the need to leave.
Stephen Curry Spoke About Kevin Durant’s Departure
Draymond had claimed earlier this year that Durant leaving the Warriors was like a slap in the face to Stephen Curry. Draymond felt that Curry had opened the door for Durant to join the Warriors and had welcomed him with open arms, only for him to leave after three seasons.
As for what Curry himself thinks of KD leaving, he wasn’t hurt at all by it. He stated Durant didn’t owe him or the Warriors anything. He really didn’t, but KD has certainly come off worse after it. Sure, he has averaged 28.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5.7 APG, 0.8 SPG, and 1.2 BPG since leaving Golden State, but hasn’t come close to winning a title, while they won it all in 2022.
Source: fadeawayworld.net
