WASHINGTON 鈥� It’s good to be Kevin Durant.
He danced with his mother under confetti.聽.聽He got to hang out with the legendary Bill Russell before winning the award that bears his name. The Suitland, Maryland, native even took the time to shout out his hometown during the on-court celebration of the聽Golden State Warriors’聽129-120 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals that聽finally made Durant a champion in his 10th NBA season.
The man labeled “KD” was the no-brainer choice for聽MVP of the series, averaging 35.2 points (on an incredible 56 percent shooting from the floor, 47 percent from deep and 93 percent at the line), 8.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1 steal per game. He became just the third player in NBA history to win the award in his first year with his team and finished two points shy of the Finals record for most points scored in a five-game series.
But wait, there’s more: Durant is also聽the third聽player in NBA history to win at least聽four scoring titles聽and an聽NBA title, and the first player in 15 years to score 30 or more points in every game of an NBA Finals series. KD was consistently and thoroughly great in the playoffs, the leading scorer on a team聽that set an NBA record by going 16-1 in the postseason聽by an average margin of 13.5 points per game (second-best in NBA history).
However, many outside Oakland were less than impressed.
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鈹�📁Kevin Durant
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鈹斺殸锔� This folder is empty鈥� Cleveland SportsTalk (@CLEsportsTalk)
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And yes, that includes Durant’s hometown market here in D.C.
Listening to Kevin Durant shout out PG county and DC after he didn't even give the Wizards a meeting in free agency
— Joe Seleski (@joeseleski)
This is such an asterisk title
— Frank Hanrahan (@JFrankHanrahan)
Let’s start with the local angle 鈥� Durant doesn’t owe D.C. anything.
Having grown up聽here, he’s well aware聽that the Wizards have been irrelevant for most of the last four decades. Last summer, Washington was coming off a 41-41 non-playoff season聽that got their coach fired in favor of the guy Durant’s old team fired for not delivering a championship to Oklahoma City. Does that sound like the best landing spot for a guy hungry for a ring?
Nope.聽And as such, Durant did us all a favor and saved us from聽getting聽our hopes up. So D.C. fans shouldn’t be dismissing Durant. They should be embracing the best player to come out of the so-called “DMV” in decades and the first from the D.C. area to win NBA Finals MVP. If he’s not going to play in Washington, he can at least play for Washington.
Now for the frustratingly inaccurate “tainted title” logic. Durant didn’t piggyback his way to his first title. He wasn’t the sixth man or a fourth option聽on an already loaded Warriors squad. He came to a team that won an NBA-record聽73 games last season and . Not only are the NBA Finals still going on if KD weren’t in Golden State, the Cavaliers might actually have repeated as champs. Discounting how tough it is to integrate a player of Durant’s caliber on an already established team is shortsighted.
And, of course,聽let’s not forget聽actual logic.
I can鈥檛 believe Kevin Durant went to a team he wanted to play for instead of staying with the people who won him in a lottery.
— Neal Brennan (@nealbrennan)
Durant didn’t string Oklahoma City and/or Washington along like LeBron James did Cleveland with “The Decision,” nor did he do anything outside of the rules. KD simply chose to take his talents to the city where he had the best chance to win a championship. How quickly we forget LeBron has done so twice.
That’s why I find it crazy to somehow jump on Durant for making聽an informed 鈥� and obviously correct 鈥� choice.聽There are no style points for championships. You either have one or you don’t. Ask Charles Barkley,聽Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, John Stockton and Karl Malone if they’d like a “tainted” ring.聽In fact, many forget Barkley and Malone actually did chase one late in their careers, to no avail.
Let’s dust off the Golden Rule and apply this logic to our lives. Would you turn down a big promotion with more opportunity for upward growth simply because it looks better聽on your resume to finish what you started with聽your current employer? I’ve been critical of ESPN for years (hell, I just聽spent ) but if you think I’d turn down their money, you’re dead wrong. Everyone should have the right to try and improve their lot in life, personally and professionally. Don’t think athletes are聽somehow exempt from this.
Does聽joining a “superteam” hurt KD’s case in the debate for greatest of all-time? Probably. But having a ring gets him in the conversation, and titles matter more for that conversation in the NBA than in any other sport. Instead of nitpicking how Durant has arrived, we should all just sit back and appreciate the fact that聽the seeds of his greatness were planted聽in our own backyard.
