Curry says ‘It’ll be cool’ playing against Durant
When Stephen Curry sees Kevin Durant make his regular season debut for the Brooklyn Nets tonight, he doesn’t anticipate a rush of adrenaline because he will be playing his former Warriors teammate.
“At the end of the day, it’s just another game,” Curry said Monday. “It’s our first regular season game, so there’s (already) a lot of excitement. It’ll be cool to see him out there, and all those pleasantries, then get to just competing.”
During Durant’s tenure in Golden State from 2016 to 2019, the Warriors never missed the Finals — pushing their total to five straight Finals appearances. In 2019’s series, though, Durant tore his Achilles’ tendon as the Warriors lost to the Raptors. Less than a month later, Durant signed as a free agent with the Nets.
But like he sought to join a championship- caliber team in the Warriors in 2016, Durant said Monday he viewed joining the Nets as a similar opportunity — not as him leaving to build his own team.
“I try not to make myself bigger than the group,” Durant told reporters. “But I know what I add to a basketball club and I felt that way with the Warriors. So it wasn’t about me going to the Nets to try to prove that I can make my own thing.”
The final season of the partnership was filled with tension. Media prodded Durant with questions about his future, championship-or-bust expectations weighed heavily on the team and the yelling match between Durant and Draymond Green (ruled out for today’s game with a foot injury) in an overtime loss to the Clippers in the first month of the season was treated as public evidence that the era was coming to an end.
Now, as the Warriors work to complete a rebuild and Durant returns from his injury, all involved look back on the experience with appreciation.
“I miss my guys, man, I can’t lie,” Durant told reporters of his former teammates.
Added Curry: “Amazing three years that we’ll remember for a lifetime.”
NO LIN >> Plans to make Jeremy Lin a part of their G League program broke down when the Warriors were unable to obtain an official Letter of Clearance from FIBA by Saturday’s deadline.
Lin, who played with the Chinese Basketball Association’s Beijing Ducks last season, had been working with Golden State’s front office to be signed and waived this weekend so that he could join its G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. When plans fell apart, the Warriors pivoted, signing and waiving guard Eli Pemberton so they could acquire his G League rights. NO RESPECT FROM VEGAS >> The oddsmakers and gamblers disagree a little on how the Warriors will fare without Klay Thompson this season, but neither appear confident Golden State will be much more than an average team.
The Warriors are slightly favored to make the Western Conference playoffs, according to SportsBetting.com’s -200 odds, but the under bet on their over/under win total of 38.5 is the heaviest bet among gamblers on the prop.
For the upcoming 72-game season, the Warriors’ predicted 38.5 wins is equivalent to finishing five games over .500. Aside from last season’s disaster, that finish would be the Warriors’ worst since they won 23 games in Mark Jackson’s first year as their coach in 2011-12.
Caesars is even a bit more down on the Warriors this season, installing their over/under at 37.5 wins.