Kevin Durant Altered Stephen Curry’s NBA Legacy, Claims 12X All-Star Amid Warriors Guard’s MVP Take

It’s been over six years since Kevin Durant’s basketball career ended in the Bay Area, but even today many believe that had it not been for Durant, the Dubs Nation might not have won their back-to-back rings in 2017 and 2018. And Durant’s two Finals MVP are a testament of the same. But considering the impact Curry has had on the Warriors over the years, almost no one accepts the fact how crucial Durant was for the Dubs Nation.

‘Kevin Durant was a luxury. Curry was the system.’ That has been the general sentiment over the years. However, a recent take from Isiah Thomas, who holds Curry in high regard, has once again stirred the debate about Durant’s impact in the Bay Area. Thomas believes the Warriors’ dynasty and the legacies of Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green would be completely different if they hadn’t gotten Kevin Durant.

The Pistons legend was on The Draymond Green Show and very tactfully laid out that opinion in front of Draymond Green. “Before Kevin Durant arrived in Golden State, y’all were on the verge of being remembered as the team that went 73-9 and lost to a Cleveland Cavaliers team in the finals, 3-1. You were up 3-1 and probably one of the biggest collapse in NBA finals history from a 73-9 historical team.”

After calling the Warriors an almost-collapse to Dray’s face, the Pistons legend credited Kevin Durant for saving the dynasty. “Kevin Durant comes that summer and really saves y’all’s basketball legacy, and you win two championships after that, and now you’re the Golden State Warriors dynasty that you’re going to go into the Hall of Fame on and everything else.”

KD arrived from OKC to the Bay Area in 2016 with much chatter that Thomas dismissed. He maintains that KD only wants to play a certain style of basketball, which he got in Golden State and eventually led the Warriors to two championships in 2017 and 2018. Thomas bluntly stated that Green, Curry, and Klay Thompson wouldn’t be future Hall-of-Famers if it weren’t for Durant.

A lot is said about Slim Reaper’s move to the Golden State, a team with multiple finals appearances. He’d go on to win the 2017 and 2018 Finals MVP titles, a huge upset to the MVP Curry supporters. There are those KD deniers who refuse to acknowledge he was instrumental to a Warriors dynasty.

Thomas refuses to diminish KD that way. And for what it’s worth, Durant’s former teammates agree.

Stephen Curry confirmed his feelings about the 2018 Finals MVP

Isiah Thomas didn’t have to be that cautious around Draymond Green. He, too, agrees they wouldn’t have the legacy if it weren’t for Kevin Durant. He explicitly said with Zeke as his witness, “I am not one of those people who’s on the bandwagon of like, ‘Kevin didn’t do nothing. Kevin doesn’t deserve them rings.’ Like, you don’t win two finals MVPs if you don’t deserve rings. That’s just kind of a dumb thing to say, you know.”

Their former teammate, Quinn Cook, claimed that Durant was rooting for Finals MVP for Stephen Curry all season. In 2018, Slim and Chef were statistically near equals. But Curry’s abysmal Game 3 performance sent a Finals MVP chance out the window. Yet the unanimous league MVP not winning finals MVP didn’t sit right with a large section of the NBA community.

During his China tour, Stephen Curry was asked about Cook’s comments and if he felt he should’ve been Finals MVP in 2018. Initially, he acknowledged why this is a debate. “The idea of that being a conversation, I couldn’t run from it… because we had been to four straight Finals at that point, had won three out of four. 2018, I guess I was close. Had a bad Game 3,” he acknowledged. “KD played unbelievable the entire time. It goes into that conversation, in the sense of, in that moment, if you’re playing for a Finals MVP, you’re probably not gonna get it done because you’ll get distracted.” 

Yet he went on to say, “I never really thought about it that much. 2018, I got close to thinking about it. But I’d rather have rings, obviously, and the opportunity to go get rings, but KD beyond well-deserved Finals MVP.”

Draymond Green pretty much echoed him. Despite the popular sentiment, Durant’s teammates and Isiah Thomas would never discount what he did for the Warriors’ dynasty.