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Kevin Durant Longhorn Legend


Patrick Bateman

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35 minutes ago, youdunnf'dup said:

and he had one of the most dominant finals performances ever 

It was a nice Finals performance but I wouldn't call it one of the most dominant ever. He wasn't super efficient and did a lot of scoring from the line. 

I think Wade is generally a little slept on but it's hard for me to argue him over Dirk all time. Dirk was really really good for a longer stretch than Wade was. Wade only had about 6 great, full seasons where he didn't miss 25 or 30 games. He just couldn't stay healthy. 

Meanwhile from 2001 to 2011 Dirk never missed more than 9 games in a season - and averaged 24/9/3 on 48/39/88 shooting splits - and led a lot of really good Mavs teams. 

To add to that he's 6th in all time scoring - and I don't think Wade has a case over anyone in the top 10 in that metric (MAYBE Karl Malone but that would be heavily dependent on the criteria used).

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Yes, across 30 games and 5 games in the playoffs (they aren't 6-0 - he had 20 points in game 5 against Houston. And they were 5-1 last year in the playoffs without Curry).
That is different than 246 games in the regular season and 12 full playoff series. I don't know why you would argue otherwise - you already made the point up the thread that he has extended their dynasty by reducing everyone's workload on both sides of the ball. 
And your numbers are still wrong, can't believe I'm looking this shit up but I'm bored at work so whatever (all are without Durant, with Curry):
2016-2017: 16-3 in the regular season, 2-0 in the playoffs
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01/gamelog/2017
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/curryst01/gamelog/2017
2017-2018: 5-0 in the regular season, didn't miss a playoff game
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01/gamelog/2018
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/curryst01/gamelog/2018
2018-2019: 3-1 regular season, 5-0 playoffs
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01/gamelog/2019
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/curryst01/gamelog/2019
 
So they are 24-4 in the regular season, 7-0 in the playoffs. 31-4 total. That is still a very small sample size - about 12 games out of 100 each year. With the bulk of the wins coming in 2017. 
Oh and 6 of the 7 playoff wins are against the Blazers - who they didn't even struggle against in 2016 without Curry OR Durant. 
 
 


I am interested in the number of Games each has played without Dreymond... And compare those records.. if you are bored at work any further.
At least this season I know KD played a number of games without either Curry or Dreymond, which likely influences the comparison.


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4 hours ago, RelaxedLonghorn said:

 


I am interested in the number of Games each has played without Dreymond... And compare those records.. if you are bored at work any further.
At least this season I know KD played a number of games without either Curry or Dreymond, which likely influences the comparison.


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Someone on another site I read had posted that of Durant's 28-18 record without Curry, that 10 of those games were without Draymond too and the record there was 5-5.  Not sure if this is true as I haven't looked it up, but it's a private site for mostly professional basketball analytic types so I think it might be right unless they made an honest mistake somehow.

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9 hours ago, Reynolds Woodcock said:

Maybe. If Durant stayed in OKC and squeaked out one championship (which I think is unlikely with Westbrook by his side), that one championship would be better than one championship in Golden State, but it isn't better than three championships and multiple Finals MVPs in Golden State.  And in any event, Wade and Dirk's solo championships might mean more individually than any of KD's, but few would argue either Dirk or Wade is a better player than KD (especially Wade). 

Ultimately,  I think KD's rings with Golden State will be viewed similar to LeBron's in Miami, in that it would be far better for his legacy to have won three in GSW than to pull a Karl Malone in OKC and never cross the finish line. It took the Cleveland championship to elevate LeBron into the GOAT conversation, and it will probably take a similar individual performance from KD to put him in the Top 10 or so.  To his credit, it seems like he realizes that and is about to start an new era of his career.  

Lol. If he won one with ‘Mr. Me First’ that might trump Jordan’s 6 rings.  Not really, but it would garner way more respect around the league than 3 with the Warriors.  

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right, because that team would have been so much better than when they had three future MVPs plus Serge Ibaka on the roster, right? not to mention that famous russell westbrook winning chemistry. yeah they would clearly be favored over the Warriors and Cavs, duh.

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16 hours ago, RelaxedLonghorn said:

 


I am interested in the number of Games each has played without Dreymond... And compare those records.. if you are bored at work any further.
At least this season I know KD played a number of games without either Curry or Dreymond, which likely influences the comparison.


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I'm not that bored. I had to do the Durant/Curry on/off manually. 

Now, if anyone wants to pay me for pulling stats like this I'm all ears. 

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19 hours ago, 52-80 said:

Wade didn't beat the Mavs.  The refs beat the mavs

While the refs did fucking suck, Avery Johnson was in over his head and the Mavs fucking melted down big time. They were up on he Heat 2-0 and a 13pt lead with 6 minutes in game 3. Fans were already giving up and leaving the arena and booing the Heat. Mavs went cold after that point and gave up that game. I had a bad feeling after that, especially since back then it was still the 2-3-2 format. Heat still had 2 more home games in a row. Mavs would have been much better off with the 2-2-1-1-1 so they could come back home after the series was tied up. Josh Howard calling timeout between free throws when we had none left in game 5. Dirk missed a few clutch free throws.

But we got the best revenge possible in 2011.

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25 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

While the refs did fucking suck, Avery Johnson was in over his head and the Mavs fucking melted down big time. They were up on he Heat 2-0 and a 13pt lead with 6 minutes in game 3. Fans were already giving up and leaving the arena and booing the Heat. Mavs went cold after that point and gave up that game. I had a bad feeling after that, especially since back then it was still the 2-3-2 format. Heat still had 2 more home games in a row. Mavs would have been much better off with the 2-2-1-1-1 so they could come back home after the series was tied up. Josh Howard calling timeout between free throws when we had none left in game 5. Dirk missed a few clutch free throws.

But we got the best revenge possible in 2011.

This may be the most remarkable post I have ever seen from a Mavs fan.  Well done.

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man, I’m believe this dude is going to play when I see it. We all saw the injury. That didn’t look like a quick 2 weeks and I’m good type of injury. I know originally I said “let’s wait till the injury report comes out” but I feel like they aren’t telling us the full truth 

Edited by youdunnf'dup
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20 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

In case of emergency break glass.

The question becomes, if an emergency presents itself in Game 1 (say a blowout loss), would they rush him back?  Ideally, they wait until Game 3 (June 5th) at the earliest.  But falling behind 0-2 in a series, and trying to shake off KD's rust in a must win game would not be ideal.  I don't think it will come to that--in fact, I'm liking Golden State's chances w/o KD more and more watching role players wilt left and right in the ECF--but there's a decent amount of pressure on Game 1.

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Great article by Lowe on the differences in Golden State's offense without KD, when they have to buzz around and cut and screen with purpose without a 7 foot bad ass to rely on to make things way easier on them.  How it's a nightmare of confusion to defend, how role players benefit from that motion, and how they got back to the Steph/Green PnR (I agree with Lowe that it's the best pick and roll since Stockton/Malone).  The energy and execution probably isn't sustainable for 100+ games season after season, but it doesn't need to be.  They should be able to stay in the top 3 seeds in the West barring major injury, then up the intensity in April.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26783313/how-golden-state-reclaimed-juggernaut-style

He comes to a pretty fair conclusion:

Quote

 

But by their own admission, they sometimes downshifted. They stood and watched. Cut at half speed. Slipped screens without the usual jarring ferocity.

It wasn't always easy for Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to flip the turbo switch. They didn't have to with Durant around. When he rested, the three were rarely on the floor together. The regular season is overlong and boring for a team headed to its fifth straight NBA Finals. Green was out of shape until a planned March diet.

Like anyone subsisting on pull-ups, Durant suffers the occasional cold night. Those nights -- when Durant missed more and the other three stars didn't or couldn't summon their pre-Durant verve -- are when you saw the illusion of a less than dominant post-Durant future.

These past six wins, and the synergistic dominance of Golden State's founding fathers, have been a reminder: We are still here. They may not win the No. 1 seed in the West without Durant; they have earned the right to coast and rest. But they will be in the championship picture when it matters.

...

Durant is Golden State's bailout option -- the trump card -- against switch-everything schemes. He is insurance against icy shooting nights.

We'll never really know if the Warriors needed Durant to beat the 2017 Cavs -- LeBron's best Cleveland team -- or last season's Rockets. It felt like they did, but it also felt like they needed him to outlast the Clippers three weeks ago. Maybe they needed him to become invincible -- to be something more than a normal championship-level team. (It's possible to be a championship-level team and not win the championship.)

It appeared at times this season as if they needed Durant to be merely that: a normal great team. The past two weeks have been an emphatic reminder: Maybe they don't.

 

 

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4 hours ago, aggie08 said:

The question becomes, if an emergency presents itself in Game 1 (say a blowout loss), would they rush him back?  Ideally, they wait until Game 3 (June 5th) at the earliest.  But falling behind 0-2 in a series, and trying to shake off KD's rust in a must win game would not be ideal.  I don't think it will come to that--in fact, I'm liking Golden State's chances w/o KD more and more watching role players wilt left and right in the ECF--but there's a decent amount of pressure on Game 1.

I don’t see any possible scenario where they go back to GS 0-2. Not with these green teams against the warriors in their 5th finals. Not when they’re playing with this “oh, you thought we needed KD?” chip on their shoulder. It’ll probably be 1-1, but I feel like 2-0 warriors is a more likely scenario than 0-2. 

 

Plus, if it is Toronto, I can already see the Spike lee game where they just get white hot and talk shit to drake.

Edited by youdunnf'dup
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1 hour ago, youdunnf'dup said:

I don’t see any possible scenario where they go back to GS 0-2. Not with these green teams against the warriors in their 5th finals. Not when they’re playing with this “oh, you thought we needed KD?” chip on their shoulder. It’ll probably be 1-1, but I feel like 2-0 warriors is a more likely scenario than 0-2. 

 

Plus, if it is Toronto, I can already see the Spike lee game where they just get white hot and talk shit to drake.

Put me down for 1-1, Durant comes back for game 3, winner of game 3 wins the series. 

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1 hour ago, Dutchrudder said:

Weird... it's almost like the competition gets a lot easier after they stop playing the Western Conference...

If that's what that graph said then the same would apply to his teammates' numbers as well. This team has leaned on KD in the past two Finals. He didn't just stumble into two Finals MVP awards. 

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1 hour ago, housious said:

I don’t think the Warriors are better without KD. But I do think they are significantly more fun to watch without him. 

I've been saying for months now that I'm looking forward to KD leaving largely because of this. It forces Golden State to play like the OG Warriors with nonstop passing and motion because they won't have an EASY button to dump the ball to. AND it will give KD his own team where he'll likely have to revert back to the 30+ ppg monster that we all know he can be from Day 1. It's a win-win for any basketball fan.

Not to mention bringing the Warriors back to the pack. They'll still be among the favorites--maybe the favorites--but, depending on free agency, there could be about half a dozen teams with a very realistic shot at the title. Haven't been able to say that in a while.

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Warriors are going to really fall off over a whole season without Durant and with no money to spend on quality bench players. Iguodola is in real decline, and Livingston is borderline unplayable now. Those two guys were starter-level players coming off the bench their first Finals runs. They have nothing on the bench right now.

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9 hours ago, Llogg said:

Warriors are going to really fall off over a whole season without Durant and with no money to spend on quality bench players. Iguodola is in real decline, and Livingston is borderline unplayable now. Those two guys were starter-level players coming off the bench their first Finals runs. They have nothing on the bench right now.

At some point, 34-4 (without KD) stops being a small sample size. They've rolled out Nick Young, Patrick McCaw, and Alfonzo McKinnie as starters in those games. Livingston hasn't contributed anything since 2017. Iggy has taken off the last three regular seasons. They'll be motivated next season to prove how good they still are. I think Kevon Looney is legitimately a good basketball player. Damian Jones and Jordan Bell are athletic enough to thrive against regular season competition with Steph and Dray passing to them. Quinn Cook is just fine for 15 minutes a game. They'll just need a competent wing to accept the MLE. I think they'll find one. The past few years have only attracted the most shameless of ring chasers. This offseason, they'll be able to sell the idea of starting and being necessary, while taking the easiest shots you've ever attempted in your career.

Put it this way: I'm definitely taking the field over them next season, but I'd bet a good amount of money that the eventual champion will either be them or have to go through them.

Obviously if LAC lands Kawhi and KD, and the Lakers get AD and Kyrie, this all goes out the window. But, right now, I don't see any great teams next season, only a collection of really good ones, of which the Warriors would have as good a chance as any with their experience and talent.

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53 minutes ago, Brothahorn said:

Right now for all the shit talking, the Ws are 1-1 in the finals without KD. 2-0 with him. That’s all that matters.

Right, but aren’t you curious to see if they can do it without KD (again)? We all know the outcome of these finals if KD comes back. I think we know regardless of whether he comes back or not, but it would remove all drama if KD came back. If he’s back, you can almost pencil in warriors in 5. If KD is out we get to watch, if nothing else, a more fun brand of basketball from the warriors. And you have to admit the idea of “can they do it without their best player” is kind of interesting. It would be the first time in NBA history that something like that has ever happened. No?

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Right, but aren’t you curious to see if they can do it without KD (again)? We all know the outcome of these finals if KD comes back. I think we know regardless of whether he comes back or not, but it would remove all drama if KD came back. If he’s back, you can almost pencil in warriors in 5. If KD is out we get to watch, if nothing else, a more fun brand of basketball from the warriors. And you have to admit the idea of “can they do it without their best player” is kind of interesting. It would be the first time in NBA history that something like that has ever happened. No?

 Indeed. Everyone is. I sure if KD doesn’t play in the finals, a part of him will root for Toronto. We know he is sensitive. And I’m sure there are some current Warriors hoping he doesn’t come back so they can prove a point. I’m cool with all that.

 

But IMO too many folks seem to forget why he was brought in. Yeah, they won 73 games but then what happened? You think the Bulls season would have meant as much without the ring? If he is there a year earlier, we would be talking about 5 straight.

 

 

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 Indeed. Everyone is. I sure if KD doesn’t play in the finals, a part of him will root for Toronto. We know he is sensitive. And I’m sure there are some current Warriors hoping he doesn’t come back so they can prove a point. I’m cool with all that. 
But IMO too many folks seem to forget why he was brought in. Yeah, they won 73 games but then what happened? You think the Bulls season would have meant as much without the ring? If he is there a year earlier, we would be talking about 5 straight.
 
 
And if he went to Cleveland we would be talking about 4 straight. You can do that with just about any contender at the time and it wouldn't be hard to see. San Antonio getting KD with Kawhi would have been unbelievable. He's just too good of a player to not be in contention regardless of where he goes.

Also, fuck Mark Cuban for being the only team willing to take Boguts contract to make way for Durant to GS. That 3 comma douchebag is partly to blame, since only a handful of teams had capspace to do it.
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Yes, definitely blame Cuban for giving up a conditional second round pick (i.e. nothing) for a serviceable big that the Mavericks desperately needed. It also allowed them to get Barnes. (yea, maybe they shouldn't have done that, but someone else would have given him the money too.) Don't blame the short sided players union for not agreeing to flatten out the huge cap increase, which, you know, was the main reason KD was able to sign in GS.

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https://247sports.com/college/texas/Article/Kevin-Durant-NBA-Finals-Golden-State-Warriors-Texas-Longhorns-make-history-132419291/

Texas is the only school in the country that has had a former player on a team roster in the NBA Finals over the last nine consecutive years with former Longhorns' stand out Kevin Durant joining the Warriors on the biggest stage in the sport. Durant and the Warriors are looking to repeat the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals, which ended with the former Longhorn winning his first two NBA Championships, and was named the Most Valuable Player of both the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals.

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On 5/31/2019 at 2:08 PM, Braff Zacklin said:

KD made the latest edition of Mean Tweets.

 

If you can't say it to the man's face, it shouldn't be said at all, in my opinion... KD has had a successful career, (this from a Thunder fan)...

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I’m shocked he didn’t respond to these people. This should always be the approach. Lean into it. You’re arguing with people that would do anything to spend one day in your shoes. Or you’re arguing with Chris Broussard who gets more clicks, and followers the moment you engage with him. Do you think Chris Broussard cares about what KD thinks about him? Don’t take the bait. Good for you KD.

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48 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Ultimately he and all pro athletes are entertainers. It is entertaining to me when he goes after reporters and fans. More power to him. Why should these guys have to take the high road?

Is it really even a “high road”? You’re responding to people that aren’t on your level. You’re an all time great player. Nobody can deny that. You know you took a short cut. Nobody can deny that either. “Lions don’t concern themselves with the opinion of sheep” or whatever the fuck that saying is. Plus, of all superstars in the history of the NBA, he was handled with kid gloves by the media while he was in OKC. 

If Lebron, or Kobe tried to say something about KD, then yeah. Maybe respond. 

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