KD’S ‘TWO’ GOOD
Durant fought for the team while earning second straight Finals MVP
CLEVELAND >> Kevin Durant gripped the Finals MVP trophy firmly in his hands. He had no intention of letting it go.
Durant made only one exception after the Warriors’ 108-85 Game 4 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday that clinched a second consecutive NBA championship. Nearly 20 minutes after former Boston Celtics luminary Bill Russell handed Durant his second consecutive Finals MVP trophy, Durant placed the trophy on the court around 12:25 a.m. EDT when he sat for an on-set NBA TV interview with Charles Barkley, Grant Hill and Chris Webber.
Otherwise, Durant held the Finals MVP trophy firmly as he navigated through the arena to conduct countless interviews and photo shoots. In between destinations, Durant met reporters and fans eager to talk to him.
“What am I supposed to do?” Durant asked rhetorically. “Sit it down?”
That would seem too risky for a man who attracted a crowd with every step he made. But as much as Durant considered it a “great achievement” to become the sixth player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP in consecutive seasons, he stressed that
his insistence on clutching the trophy did not symbolize any obsession with winning it. Durant remained mindful of the close Finals MVP race with teammate Stephen Curry. While Durant received seven of 11 votes among select media members, Curry had four.
“Steph knows he played a great game. Without him, we don’t win. He knows that. I know that. We all know that,” Durant told The Bay Area News Group. “We stand firm in that. So trophies and accolades and praise, that doesn’t matter when we win. We know we’re all contributing something in a special way.”
Durant averaged 28.8 points while shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range, along with 10.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists. Curry averaged 27.5 points while shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from 3-point range, along with 6.8 assists and 6.0 rebounds.
When the Warriors recruited Durant as a free agent in 2016, their interest mostly stemmed from wanting to rectify their blown 3-1 Finals lead to Cleveland. Adding a superstar would help that cause. So when the Warriors’ front office, coach Steve Kerr, Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala all met with Durant in the Hamptons, Kerr recalled a specific line of discussion.
“I don’t remember anybody asking who is going to win MVP in The Finals,” Kerr said. “It was all about, ‘Let’s win championships together.’ ”
From the minute Durant conducted an on-court interview for ABC’s “Good Morning America” at 12:26 a.m. to when he left the arena at 1:49 a.m., he constantly received validation. Durant sat down for an interview with NBA TV and then shook hands with Barkley, Hill and Webber. At 12:33 a.m., Durant walked from the court toward an arena hallway with HBO’s Bill Simmons for another interview.
Three minutes later, Durant hugged Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob and co-owner Peter Guber before entering a private room to pose for photos. Between snapshots, Durant talked with Warriors forwards Looney and Jordan Bell. Durant then posed with his Finals MVP trophy with Russell. At 12:48 a.m., Durant emerged only to go through the back door of the press conference room.
Nearly 12 minutes later, Durant left the interview room and walked down the hallway toward another private room for an interview for ESPN’s “SportsCenter” with Scott Van Pelt. Before that, Durant revealed he often had lunch and dinner with Kerr and Warriors general manager Bob Myers to discuss his role on the team.
“The second year was different. I was trying to figure out my place and where I stand. I think I’m still learning,” Durant said. “They let me know and give me reassurance that I’m a part of this thing. I should just be myself. We have to go out there and not worry about anything but play ball. That made my life easier and I just focus on hooping and be the best Warrior I can be.”
Before those discussions, Durant’s business manager Rich Kleiman said that his client set out last offseason to further develop his defense and shotblocking while perfecting his efficiency in the post, midrange and beyond the 3-point arc.
Durant showed improvement from 2016-17 to this season in scoring average (25.1 points to 26.4), 3-point shooting (37.5 percent to 41.9), assists (4.8 to 5.4) and blocks (1.6 to 1.8). After maintaining efficiency with and without Curry in the lineup, Durant offered high-volume scoring and low-volume efficiency against Houston in the Western Conference finals.
In Games 1 and 2 against the Rockets, Durant averaged 37.5 points on 55.1-percent shooting. With Houston increasingly relying on a switch-heavy defense, Durant further resorted to isolation plays at the expense of his own efficiency in Game 4 (9 for 24), Game 5 (8 for 22) and Game 6 (6 for 17). Since then, Durant played more efficiently because of his increased patience. He also cited his improvement in rebounding from Houston (5.7) to Cleveland (10.8) as well as his defense.
After completing that journey, Durant reiterated what he had said about his comparisons to Cleveland forward LeBron James after winning his first NBA title and Finals MVP last year. Durant joined James (2012-13), Kobe Bryant (2009-10), Hakeem Olajuwon (1994-95), Shaquille O’Neal (2000-02) and Michael Jordan (1991-93, 1996-98) as the only players to win consecutive Finals MVP awards.
“I knew I was on the same level. A lot of people didn’t realize that. But I always knew,” Durant said. “My thing last year. I just wanted to be on the big stage. I wanted to show my talents and skills on a big stage and I was able to do that.” And this year?
“We went physically through a grind in the first two rounds and also against Houston. Now this is a mental series for us. We knew physically we had a better team and a better scheme. But they were more physical than us,” Durant said of the Cavaliers. “They had a matchup problem in LeBron, who is hard to scheme for. We knew we had to mentally be on point to beat this team. We were all mentally locked in. That showed the different facets that we had with this group. It’s amazing to be a part of.”
And it is something Durant wants to be a part of for a while. Kleiman reiterated Durant’s proclamations throughout the season that he will re-sign with the Warriors after he opts out of his player option to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
“He wants to be here, of course,” Kleiman said. “Why would you not?”
Will Durant sign a oneyear deal as he did last summer? Or will he seek a longer deal of two, three or four years?
“I haven’t thought about it. That’s not true, that’s a lie. I’m just not thinking about it now,” Kleiman said. “Those things are not thought about in terms of where he wants to be. He wants to be here. Those things are just thought about on a business level.”
Last year, Durant willingly took a $10 million pay cut so the Warriors could re-sign Iguodala and Shaun Livingston while also acquiring Nick Young. This summer, the Warriors will have a mid-level exception ($5.2 million), a bi-annual exception ($3.3 million) and veteran’s minimum deals. Will Durant be as charitable this summer?
“To some people, I heard some people say ‘All you’re doing is saving the owner money or they can pay and go over the luxury tax. But it was as simple as, ‘If this is what I’m hearing I have to do in order to get my teammates back, I’m going to do it,’ ” Kleiman said. “It’s a pretty open-and-shut thing. It all comes back. What’s fair will work itself out. He knew he wanted everyone back. Look at what the pay off is. The money he paid back is well worth it.”
It has become worth it for Durant, in numerous ways. He has enjoyed Golden State’s team-oriented culture. He has been expanding his philanthropic projects in Washington, D.C., (refurbished courts, scholarships) and the Bay Area (scholarships). He has expanded his business empire with tech investments and developing future shows for Apple and Fox. And he just won another NBA title and a Finals MVP.
But as he held the Finals MVP trophy firmly, a joyful Durant explained how that award symbolized something that does not involve selfish motives.
“Individual accolades are incredible. But I just love to battle with this team,” he said. “I play a team sport, man. So if I couldn’t battle with these dudes every single day, I wouldn’t be able to do anything individually. I just tried to be the best teammate I can be and support the team as best as I can. If this is what comes out of it, I appreciate it.”