They didn't win a single game against Golden State in the playoffs.

Of course I'm taking this personally. I'm watching water tanks on a frac site on the west end of ND during July 4th and my wife is sending me pictures of shrimp she just grilled. I'm not a happy camper. C'est le vie? I think.

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Durant had these same views and he wasn't born in 85. Also being a competitor transcends eras too. It doesn't change because it isn't 85. It's foolish to think so. That is why I don't overrate guys like Steph Curry and Kevin Durant because no matter how good you may think they are, I always know that I have seen a number of guys that are both better and more competitive.

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Could be worse...you could be in the desert watching out for terrorists

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Sherman remarked, "Well, Grant, we've had the devil's own day, haven't we?" Grant looked up. "Yes," he replied, followed by a puff. "Yes. Lick 'em tomorrow, though."

Yes, but your definition of being a competitor isn't necessarily THE definition. Obviously, KD wanted to win some rings. Why fault him for that?

Yes, he deserves shit talking for that tweet back in the day. Questioning his pride and competitive nature is just reaching to me.

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Durant can sign wherever he wants. But hey, burn his jersey and you can make it on the news. The NBA seems to have little issue with these mega teams. They also seem to not care that 90% of the teams have no chance of winning the championship. That said, I don't understand how fans put up with it. I enjoy watching the playoffs, but I'm not going to pay to see the Bulls play. The only game(s) I'd probably pay for is the game(s) against Golden State. Yet, the UC will be packed for most games. Personally, I'm not sure how you can consider yourself a professional league when you have a "1%" concept going for teams.

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Knee jerk hatred is always justified in sports if it's a guy not playing on your team. As you said, it's not the serious, so why does it bother you that there's this kind of blowback?

You're sounding a bit like all the Grantland and NBA Twitter blowhards who were shocked, just shocked that people who weren't fans of the Heat would ever root against Lebron. This move is in the same class as that one, so similar disdain shouldn't be shocking. I'd note that at least the Heat fans seemed to embrace playing the villain, while the Golden State fans I've read today are being hyper defensive; I guess 2 seasons worth of bullshit about how humble Steph is ( ) and blather about how they're built "the right way" didn't adequately prepare them for the metric ton of hatred that's going to be coming their way next season.

If you want the more cosmopolitan answer though, I find the league substantially less interesting when there are moves that reduce competitive balance. I enjoy close games and series, and would much prefer to consume those than be lectured all season about how I should just Appreciate Greatness in the course of blowouts.

A true competitor would not sign with the team that barely beat them during the playoffs. If he wants to win then he, as a superstar should do the necessary things to make OKC better. Hitching your wagon to a record setting team just so you can win a championship is cheap. OKC was more than capable of beating G.S.

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Because you just came off choking away a 3 game series lead primarily because you sucked when it mattered most. Then you go and sign with that team who also happen to be the consensus best team in the league. How do you not question his competitiveness after that?

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Exactly.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Let me just say I respect everyone's opinion...

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A shit league enjoyed by dumbass mother fuckers

Yes the Thunder did choke away a 2 game series lead in epic fashion. They went through a lot of last season choking away leads when it mattered most as well. I just can't go as far as to question a guy's heart when I've never seen him give up in a game.

If you can't beat 'em join 'em.

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What are you drinking tonight?

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Your first two sentences are 1980s meatball regurgitations. I guess I value in game competitiveness far more than the loyalty and tradition garbage that a lot of old heads cling to.

OKC was simply not as good as you think. I may concede other arguments, but I'm not going to concede that point.

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I just don't agree with knee jerk reactions in general. Too many sports fans can't objectively look at any situation. Hot take sports society has seriously fucked up the way we perceive professional athletics.

I am a blow hard. There are extraneous circumstances that are causing me to project negativity on you guys. Sorry for that.

Totally agree I was so sick of the Currys, specifically Ayesha, by the end of the finals. In all honesty tho, they were only framed as the darlings of the NBA by the media. I mean you have a dirty dick puncher, and a guy who struts after every crucial 3 pointer made on your team. I'm sure the blowback was well in motion by the start of the playoffs last year, but Espn ran with a different narrative. If GS thought teams were bringing it against them last season, just wait.

This is the way the league is set up. It's what was bargained for. I agree the NBA can't really afford to have a playoff competition like this past season. Like I said before tho, the NBA has consistently had stretches where you know who the 2 or 3 teams are that will be fighting for the trophy in June.

I guess everyone is just acting brand new, and that bothers me.

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Good lord. I've become LTG.

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Every sport benefits from having dominant teams/players:

Earl Anthony
Alan Francis
Tiger Woods
Kevin Martin
Jack Nicklaus
Lakers/Celts
Bulls
Efren Reyes
Patriots/Colts rivalry in the NFL
Kentucky in NCAA hoops
Blackhawks and Kings winning multiple Stanley Cups in recent years helped hockey not only in their own cities but throughout the sport.

when do people get excited about horse racing? etc

I questioned it before now.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Horse racing excitement?

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#Truth

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

hey it's possible that he goes there for 1yr to win a ring then jets back to OKC to shove that ring in westbrick's face like "so let's talk about heroball..."

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What will his legacy be though?

1) Joined up with a championship team who was about 3 minutes away from repeating and rode them to a ring.
2) Actually made a championship team worse somehow and didn't win a title.

I mean he gets a ring and that is cool but just like Lebron the rings won like this aren't really viewed as "legacy defining".

I just can't wait until everyone also tries to convince themselves that the rest of the team isn't that good around him when they win it like they did with Lebron.

The only major difference here is that Durant was more on his way to hall of famer player rather than generational talent so this just keeps going with that.

Honestly, it looks like a lot of players are scared of being the next Barkley or Malone and never getting a ring so they take the easy way out. However, joining a team that is already a championship team and championship favorite takes that up a level.

I at least give Carmelo Anthony for caring more about being in New York than winning titles or competing.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Ill take the field vs Golden State to win next year

LeBron winning the championship made me sick. This means LeBron is going down for sure next summer.

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God is the uncaused cause of the universe. He had no beginning and has no end. He is not bound by the laws of the universe he created.

Carmelo Anthony would never do something like this.

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What you refer to as 80's meatball regurgitations I refer to simply as run of the mill ignorance. For guys like Jordan and Thomas, winning a championship the way that they did was a validation of their greatness as players. Bandwagon guys have never been respected in sports. There is a reason for it.

Durant probably doesn't care about that, but his winning a ring matters not to me as an observer of the game. Very few outside of Golden State "meatball" types will condone a move like this.

While you keep saying that OKC wasn't good enough and that's my opinion, you sound foolish. They proved that they were good enough in the best place that it should be proven, on the court. This isn't a court of public opinion argument, as they established that they were OKC's equal when they matched up.

He abandoned at worst the 3rd best team in basketball in order to backdoor into a championship. If it doesn't work he will forever be the goat. That much is guaranteed.

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It's hard to believe that Durant was seduced by the gay side.

And Zaza? Now they're gonna have two guys kicking Adams in the nuts.

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I've largely defended a lot of the casual sports fans' reactions to this, but if there's one group to blame for this it's the braindead Kobe fans. They've repeatedly attempted to establish both that "sort by ringcount" is a legitimate standard for ranking players and that it doesn't matter if you were the best player on the team or not when those rings were won in their neverending quest to argue that their favorite is somehow top 10 or even top 3 of all time.

In the woebegotten Melo thread I argued ad nauseum this very point. Championships are more often than not a product of who you play with rather than who you are as a player. Durant further validates this argument.

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