The Golden State Warriors are coming. Everything has led to this. When the Warriors requested the services of one Kevin Durant to assist in their title chase, it was the envisioning of this very progression. They were always going to be able to reach this level. This is near the, if not at the peak, of their capabilities. In the 121-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, everything that makes them this team for the ages was on display. The bench scoring, the suffocating defense, Klay Thompson as the hottest shooter of all time (41 points on 24 shots), and Stephen Curry’s infectious flash.
It all came crashing down last June but the addition of Durant was supposed to simply prop up their offense to even greater heights but giving nothing away on defense given his length and versatility. The transition was supposed to work more seamlessly than any other superstar pairings ever. Instead, the Warriors lost more games, looked a little flat through most of them, and generally lacked a concentrated ability to identify who they really were. They were a better team with Durant in the fold but it wasn’t obvious yet.
The silver lining with Durant’s injury suddenly became what appears to be necessary for this team to hit their peak with Durant in the fold. That might not be this regular season, might not be the postseason, and might not fully gel until next year. But the Warriors are back in full force, have rediscovered who they are offensively and defensively, and now will re-integrate a healthy Durant with Curry as his MVP self.
The Warriors have reached their greatest level yet again, one we have seen many times over the last two years. And on Saturday night, they welcome back one of the greatest scorers in NBA history to help them reach the greatest heights not even the history books could ever imagine.