[ad_1]
The Warriors are looking to become one of six teams in the history of the NBA to win three consecutive championships. Three, that's good, five consecutive titles would be even better.
A special moment prevented the Warriors from having the chance to become the first Boston Celtics team to win five consecutive championships: Draymond Green's suspension in Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
Green's suspension came after receiving a blatant foul for slipping LeBron James' shoulder into match 4, triggering an automatic suspension from his blatant playoff fourth. James and the Cavs took advantage of Green's absence to return from a three-game-against-one deficit for the finals for the first time in his NBA history.
But what if Green was not suspended in the 2016 final? How would the story have changed?
"The Warriors would certainly have had a different story if Draymond Green played this whole series," said Kelenna Azubuike, a former and current NBC Sports Bay analyst. "They would certainly have won this series and won this championship."
"There is no debate with me, I think we win," said Garry St. Jean, an analyst at NBC Sports Bay Area Warriors.
This assumption goes further than winning or losing the 2016 final. If the Warriors win the title in 2016, will Kevin Durant – who has been so criticized for joining Golden State – continue to come to the bay?
"I suspect Kevin Durant would always have come to the Warriors," said Monte Poole, an insider of the NBC Sports Bay Area warriors. "I think it was curious to know who the Warriors were, curious about the Bay Area and wanted to see what their culture was."
"Durant, Kevin Durant even made it clear that he was considering some points from the Warriors team and thought that if they had won that would not have been the right situation for him." Said the host of Warriors Outsiders, Grant Liffmann. "It seemed like the ideal situation for him once it became clear that the team was a little in transition and was able to lose in the final."
Durant and The Thunder, of course, won three games against one in the 2016 West Conference Finals before the Warriors rallied to win the series.
"It was like everything was planned so I could leave," Durant said in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2016, "especially after taking a lead in the final, because I'm quite sure of do not go there if they wanted to. won. But after the seventh game, I called my agent to say, "Good Lord, Golden State, what if?"
The Warriors sent Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala to meet Kevin Durant's free agent in the Hamptons that summer. Azubuike believes defeat against the final has opened the door to Durant.
"KD is altruistic but he has an ego, an ego superstar. You want to feel like a team needs you and a team needs you, "Azubuike said. "Obviously, after the Warriors lost this series, they were able to go to KD" Hey, we need you. "
If we continue the game "What if", what if Durant decided not to sign with the Warriors in 2016? Do they bring back Harrison Barnes – who signed a four-year deal worth $ 94 million with the Mavericks – and Andrew Bogut?
"I asked Joe Lacob this specific question:" What if KD did not come here? He danced and danced and danced around the answer, "said Poole." And I said you would have brought Harrison Barnes back and that he danced and danced around the answer. He never gave me a direct answer and I do not think he ever gave a direct answer to anyone. It was pretty clear his heart was on Durant and when he had it, he was delighted. "
[RELATED:[RELATED:[ENRELATION:[RELATED: KD, Kerr disagree on how many Warriors stars should shoot]
Fortunately for Warriors fans, they do not have much to play in the game "What if".
[ad_2]
Source link