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Message: [QUOTE="champs99and04, post: 2230046, member: 488"] Some parting thoughts on the finals/season: - I haven't read this article by Jackie MacMullan, but I assume it's good: [URL="http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/presents-19619121/where-nba-finals-mvp-kevin-durant-overlooked"]Kevin Durant is the NBA Finals MVP! But not for the reason you think[/URL] I know I've said this before, but I don't think people realize how good Durant is defensively. He's good defensively to the point that he would be Cleveland's third or fourth best player if he was Andre Roberson on offense. I'm not sure how his defensive metrics shake out over an 82 game sample, but what he's done defensively these last two postseasons have left me with the impression that he is one of the half dozen best defenders in the game. By my unofficial count, he was the most effective Warrior guarding both LeBron and Kyrie. - Along those lines, LeBron/Durant is a real debate. I'm not Paul Pierce and I don't say so as a passive-aggressive jab at LeBron, whose game continues to ascend to levels we haven't seen. I don't say so in neglect of the fact that Golden State's roster is perfectly suited to accentuate Durant's game and I don't say so in ignorance of just how highly the deck was stacked against LeBron in this series. The Cavs had no shot and I can assure you that my opinion is not reactionary in nature. I picked Golden State in five. This is neutral at worst for LeBron's 'legacy.' But there were moments, even in that series, where all of that context submitted to the spectacle of KD and LeBron going one on one, and in those situations, LeBron respected KD - fear felt strong - in a way I'm not sure I've ever seen him respect another player, at least not in this generation. That respect was evident in the hesitancy he demonstrated during one on one match-ups with KD, and it's that hesitancy - and his natural inclination towards being a facilitator - in iso situations that may keep LeBron behind Jordan, at least for now. - Speaking of that, Kyrie...I think he's winning me over. The dude is just do damned good one on one. He's one of the most skilled players to ever lace them up. There are problems with his game. Takes a lot of low-reward mid-range shots, free throw rate not great, poor defender, not ideal off the ball, not a great facilitator (I actually thought Golden State should have given more help on Kyrie than they did). But holy hell, as a Warriors supporter, I fear him with the ball in his hands more than LeBron. And I know that fear is not well-founded, but the fact that it exists is emblematic of how incredible he is. Weirdly, he's the type of dude you could replace with Kyle Lowry and actually be better off right up until you run into the one team that actually matters. Then he goes from polarizing-in-the-analytics-community Kyrie to Uncle Drew. - I don't think it's a coincidence that LeBron reportedly waited for every Cav to enter the locker-room last night only to finally embrace Kyrie and say, "we'll be back." My suspicion is that Kyrie - and maybe J.R., for a short time - was the only guy LeBron didn't think hung him out to dry in that series. I've banged the Love drum before, but it's important to re-iterate: there is no sense in carrying a player on your roster that is useful right up until the moment you need him. He can't play against Golden State for very legitimate basketball reasons. The ball dominance of LeBron and Kyrie makes it so he's less valuable to Cleveland's offense than he would be anywhere else, and so in total he becomes Chris Bosh on offense, which would be fine if not for the fact that he isn't Chris Bosh on defense. I think Cleveland would be much more competitive in that series even if they just swapped Love for a player like Avery Bradley. - Kevin Durant just really likes basketball. It's that simple. He didn't go to the Warriors for money, or his legacy, or the weather. He went there because he's obsessed with basketball and he's obsessed with playing it the right way. That wasn't happening in Oklahoma City and it was in Golden State and it's obvious from watching him talk last night how happy he was to play here. I'm fine if you hate on Durant for joining the Warriors, but my sense is that a lot of you are people who are just going to hate the NBA no matter what. Here's a guy who was willing to be coached, willing to be taught, willing to be part of something bigger than himself. He was willing to view himself as part of the machine instead of the machine. His teammates love him, his coaches love him, and ultimately his decision aligned with what is supposed to motivate athletes: winning. The same simpletons who will crush LeBron for being 3-5 in the finals are the ones who will place the asterisk on Durant's ring. They'll hate the NBA for being a star-dominated league and then when the star loses to the superior team they'll rip the star anyway. [/QUOTE]

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