Nets' Kevin Durant Says His Warriors Teams 'Will Never Be Duplicated'
Kevin Durant left the Bay Area to create his own legacy with the Brooklyn Nets on the East Coast. Just don't expect what the forward did with the Golden State Warriors to carry over to his new club.
While doing a midgame interview on the Nets' broadcast during Brooklyn's Wednesday matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Durant was asked if he saw similarities in the way the Nets are able to switch and score.
The answer was an emphatic "no."
"That team will never be duplicated," Durant said, laughing. "I'm not going to say that."
For those who may have forgotten how dominant the foursome of Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were, here's a quick rundown of their accomplishments:
- Led the league in scoring in 2016-17 and 2017-18, finishing second in 2018-19
- Led the league in field goal percentage 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19
- Led the league in three-point percentage in 2017-18 (39.1 percent)
- Won the Western Conference in 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19
- Won back-to-back NBA titles in 2017 and 2018
- Durant won NBA Finals MVP back-to-back in 2017 and 2018
- Curry (2018-19) and Durant (2017-18) were named All-NBA First Team
- Green was named Defensive Player of the Year for 2016-17.
Even with a roster that includes Kyrie Irving, Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and Durant, it's not going to help the Nets' cause by trying to compare them to one of the greatest teams ever assembled.
To be fair to Brooklyn's broadcasters, they were asking about the number of shooters on the roster who can catch fire at any time. That's a fair topic considering LeVert went off for a career-high 51 points Tuesday.
It just doesn't merit being in the same conversation as Durant's Warriors.
With Irving now out for the season and Durant still rehabbing from his own offseason surgery, it'll be tough to gauge exactly what the ceiling is for Brooklyn going forward. It's completely possible everyone returns healthy and the Nets become a team to beat in the East.
Until then, Durant would probably prefer to avoid the expectations that come with comparisons to the Splash Brothers.
