A GOOD FIT
Warriors’ chemistry held an allure for Durant, who left OKC for Bay Area
This story was originally published in 2016.
Kevin Durant, like many others around the league, suspected the Warriors players had a great bond. It looks like they have fun, seems like they are close. Durant, though, had to be sure. Before he made this tremendous leap of faith, he wanted to look Stephen Curry in the eyes for an invitation.
But Curry didn’t show up alone when he came to the Warriors’ meeting with Kevin Durant in the Hamptons in New York last weekend. He had Klay Thompson with him. And Draymond Green. And Andre Iguodala.
Durant said he was shocked the stars of a 73-win would come recruit him. Watching them together, their bond was obvious, genuine. It was symbolism he couldn’t ignore.
“To see them together, they all walked in and it looked like they were holding hands,” Durant said, prompting laughter from much of the 300 or so people at the introductory news conference on Thursday. “It was just a family. I could tell they enjoyed being around each other.”
The amount of back story in Durant’s move could fill a book. And much of the conversation about the Warriors’ landmark acquisition has been centered on the reasons he chose to leave Oklahoma City. But this super
team that has been formed is as much about what the Warriors have built.
If there is a gist as to what lured Durant to the Bay, it is the chemistry of the Warriors.
Before they were villains, the Warriors were darlings. They overcame their flaws with a collegiate type of chemistry and unselfishness onlookers admired. Their celebrations were heartwarming as they represented what was good about sports.
Over the past couple of years, the Warriors’ flaws got diminished by their steadily improving talent and Steve Kerr’s system. They stopped looking so heartwarming as they mowed through opponents. Their celebrations drew ire from fans of teams that seemed helpless to stop them.
But what has remained as a staple, even despite the changing climate around the Warriors, was their chemistry.
Yes, on the court. The Warriors led the league in passes and assists, products of a system focused on movement and sharing the ball. Adding Durant to the mix is like putting a turbo boost into the league’s best offense. The Warriors will be in the hunt for a championship year after year.
But the chemistry off the court, too, mattered to Durant. In addition to wins, a chance at championships, the Warriors offered him a brotherhood. They offered him to be in a collective of iron that would sharpened his iron.
“We were just ourselves,” Curry said in a phone interview. “All we did was pretty much
talk. We told him how things would be, how we operated and how he would fit in. He would fit right in. He’s a team guy. That’s who he really is. We told him he wouldn’t have to change anything and we wouldn’t have to change anything for him. He just fits right in.”
Fit matters to Durant. He emphasized that multiple times on Thursday. And the Warriors convinced him by simply displaying how they roll.
Before the meeting, they huddled and reiterated their plan to not say anything negative about Oklahoma City. Their plan was to simply showcase themselves.
As has been reported, part of the meeting was just the players. Durant and the Warriors’ four huddled and chatted. They answered his questions, detailed the inner workings of the franchise, painted the real picture from a player’s perspective.
The bond that Durant saw, even up close as the Warriors came back from a 3-1 series deficit against Durant’s Thunder, felt real.
It was a feeling he couldn’t ignore.
“When I met these guys,” he said, “I felt as comfortable as I’ve ever felt. It was organic. It was authentic. It was real.”
It’s going to take incredible chemistry to handle what the Warriors have coming. The hype that followed them will be significantly increased. The pressure to win will be as heavy as ever. And Durant is already getting destroyed in the court of public opinion, which includes former players and analysts.
What’s more, the Warriors won’t have the depth people have come to expect. With two spots remaining, the Warriors bench is a question mark.
But this season, and the next several, isn’t about the bench. It’s about Durant, Curry, Thompson, Green, Iguodala and Shaun Livingston being greater than the rest of the league. They will have to carry this team. They will have to push each other to be better. They will have to shoulder the expectations.
For most of the last eight years, Durant has felt the heft of championship pressure. But it was all on him and guard Russell Westbrook.
And then the Warriors came and showed him how different it could be. How much lighter the weight is when more share the burden. How much better basketball is when bonding is at the core.
“I just saw a bunch of real guys. Simple as that,” Durant said. “It felt like they weren’t in the NBA. It felt like those guys just play pickup every single day and they just really enjoy pure basketball. That’s the kind of feel that I wanted.”
And it was a desire he couldn’t ignore.