Top moment No. 4: The dagger shot that sunk the Cavaliers.
Four dribbles and a dagger. That’s how Kevin Durant snuffed any remote hopes of a Cleveland comeback in the 2017 NBA Finals. He loped downcourt with his gracefully long strides, pulled up just before the 3point arc and buried a shot for the ages. Then, for good measure, Durant did it again one year later. These memorable moments — in the same arena, from nearly the same spot, both times in Game 3 — conveyed what Durant provided in his three years with the Warriors. He could get his shot whenever he wanted, against any opponent, in any situation. And he usually made it.
For that, Durant earned the No. 4 spot in The Chronicle’s top sports moments of the decade.
“Those two shots, which were almost identical, to me symbol
ized the final layer our team needed to put us over the top and be virtually unguardable,” head coach Steve Kerr said this month.
The Warriors, for all their wondrous play during the 73win stampede of 201516, showed some vulnerability that postseason. They bogged down in falling behind three games to one to Durant and Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals, before roaring back to win the next three games.
Then, in the ’16 Finals, they struggled to score at times. The Cavaliers became physical with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, throttling them as Cleveland wiped away its 31 deficit to win the championship.
Golden State scored only 13 points in the fourth quarter of Game 7, in part because Curry (dealing with the lingering effects of a knee injury) and Thompson couldn’t create their own shots.
That problem vanished in the 2017 playoffs, thanks to the addition of Durant. The Warriors went 161 in rolling to the title, happily leaning on Durant — especially if their motion offense sputtered in the least.
“It was like, ‘All right, now we’ve got KD, that’s a whole different weapon you have to deal with,’ ” Kerr said of the contrast to the 2016 Finals. “No matter what you do, he can rise up and get his shot.”
The Warriors won 14 consecutive games to open the ’17 playoffs, sweeping Portland, Utah and San Antonio in the West before taking a 20 lead on the Cavaliers in the Finals. Those two games were decided by 22 and 19 points, but the Cavs offered more resistance when the series moved to Cleveland for Game 3.
They led 113111 when Kyle Korver missed a 3point shot from the corner with 53 seconds left. Durant snatched the rebound, took those four long dribbles, didn’t seem to consider passing and nailed the 3pointer over LeBron James, who belatedly raised his arm to challenge the shot.
As the crowd instantly went silent, Durant posed and scowled and acted as if he owned the damn place. That’s exactly why the Warriors signed him, to make a clutch jumper in a crucial moment on a big stage.
Durant and Curry each made two free throws shortly thereafter, sandwiched around Andre Iguodala deflecting a James shot, and the Warriors won 118113 to take a 30 lead in the series.
Durant said of his shot after the game: “We know if we can get the board and push, we’re a dangerous team. It was a good time to shoot, down two with 45 seconds left. If I miss, we still have time to make stops. I’m glad I was able to knock it down.”
Thompson on Durant: “We know in that situation to get that man the rock. He’s 7 feet tall and he can shoot over pretty much everybody, and he has amazing shooting touch.”
Kerr: “You can tell Kevin knows this is his moment. He’s been an amazing player in this league for a long time. … I think he’s having the time of his life out there.”
The Cavs won Game 4 at home, handing the Warriors their only loss of that 2017 postseason. Golden State closed out the series and secured the championship by taking Game 5 three nights later in Oakland.
The next year, the circumstances were curiously similar. Again, the Warriors won the first two games in Oakland and found themselves in a taut Game 3 in Cleveland. This time, the Warriors trailed by six at halftime before moving ahead in the third quarter, mostly behind Durant.
They nursed a 103100 lead when Durant dribbled down the 24second clock, only a few feet from midcourt. Iguodala came over to set a screen on forward Rodney Hood, but Durant lifted into the air before Iguodala even arrived.
J.R. Smith, who had been guarding Iguodala, reached up with his right arm, but he was too late. Durant drained the shot from 32 feet — 6 feet farther than the one a year earlier — to stretch Golden State’s lead to six points with 49.8 seconds left.
This time, Durant reacted with a knowing, stonecold glare as Draymond Green joined him to celebrate.
“I mean, my goodness Kevin Durant,” analyst Jeff Van Gundy said on the telecast. “Put the kids to sleep.”
Durant finished the 110102 victory with 43 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Finals for the second consecutive year after the Warriors completed the sweep with a 10885 win two nights later.
Beyond the numbers and awards, Durant brought an aura of invincibility to the Warriors. Kerr acknowledged they felt unbeatable with Durant in the playoffs, given the extra dimension he offered.
“I thought ’16 was the year we probably executed at our highest level,” Kerr said, “but ’17 was our best team because we had Kevin. That put our talent at just an unbelievable level.”