Kawakami: A signature Kevin Durant Warriors playoff moment — his first, but not his last
Channel: A.R.M SPORT
Date: 2017-05-07

Kawakami: A signature Kevin Durant Warriors playoff moment — his first, but not his last


SALT LAKE CITY — Kevin Durant never exactly said so, but he knew this day was coming, and his teammates knew it, too.

Durant may not have even admitted it to himself, but he also really needed a titanic game like this, a signature playoff moment with this team, and one giant step towards immersing himself in Warriors mythology forever.And his teammates wanted all of that for him, too.

They got it all–the Full Durant Experience, 38 points, 13 rebounds, pure dominance–on Saturday in their emotional, come-from-behind 102-91 victory over Utah here in Game 3, to take a 3-0 lead and put themselves one victory away from the Western Conference finals.

And if it was symbolized by one or two plays, it came when Stephen Curry his ownself deferred to Durant on a couple of huge offensive possessions… and happily watched Durant bury a couple baskets to reward Curry’s faith.

“Myself, the other 19,000 people in the arena and everybody watching on TV saw the same thing I saw,” Curry said when I asked him about stepping aside for Durant. “So it’s an easy decision at that moment.

“Just try to set the screen for him, get him in the right spot, obviously he does the rest. And we’re smart enough basketball players to know what’s going on at that moment and just try to make the right decision and let a talented scorer like he is… let him do what he does.”

On Saturday, exactly when they needed him most, with Curry struggling with his shot and Utah threatening to blow it open, Durant fulfilled a large part of the promise he made to the Warriors–and they made to him–when he agreed to join this team last July.Give him the ball when everybody else is struggling. Then watch him go.

That’s why they wanted him, and he wanted them. And it’s happening now.