Casual dominance like we saw in Game 3 defines KD. The Warriors need to see it even more often than usual.
Kevin Durant gave a rare in-depth look inside his brain during an interview ahead of Game 3 of the Warriors’ first-round series against the Clippers. He laid out his thought process for attacking Los Angeles, breaking down the way they played him defensively.
He made it a signature interview when he candidly and semi-rhetorically said “I’m Kevin Durant,” to the media. “You know who I am.”
"I'm not gonna get in the way of the game because I wanna have a little back-and-forth with Patrick Beverley. I'm Kevin Durant. You know who I am."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 17, 2019
Kevin Durant shared a detailed breakdown of his takeaways from their Game 2 loss. pic.twitter.com/gS8PRodqXx
He followed that statement up by scoring 38 points in just three quarters as Golden State obliterated Los Angeles for real this time, 132-105, in Game 3. In the first half, he scored 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Durant didn’t shoot the ball spectacularly from distance (just 3-of-10) or have many memorable highlights. He just sort dominated.
He is Kevin Durant, after all.
@KDTrey5 scores 38 PTS in 29 minutes of game action, as the @warriors top LAC on the road in Game 3! #StrengthInNumbers #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/gNf7oAO6Bn
— NBA (@NBA) April 19, 2019
This version of KD is what Golden State needs now more than ever
The Warriors are in the unique circumstance being down an All-Star after DeMarcus Cousins’ injury, but still having four in reserve. That doesn’t mean their championship title is inevitable. The Bucks in the East are rolling, the Rockets have found their rhythm, and nothing will come easy anymore.
Losing Cousins for the season to a torn quad is serious. The Warriors don’t have much center depth, relying on an aging Andrew Bogut, who’ll eventually struggle to defend in space against tougher opponents. Cousins was also a 16 point-per-game scorer whose offense can’t be replaced by any of the big men on the depth chart.
A lot rests on the shoulders of KD now, maybe even more so than last year given the Warriors’ lack of depth. Durant is going to need to execute on takeover nights, especially against tougher teams than the Clippers. This was an excellent showing of how he can do it.
KD asserting that he’s on another level was corny as hell, but he’s right. It at least suggests he’s in a good frame of mind to be his best self on the court. And that best self is a 6’11 point-forward slashing the lanes and lifting up over the helpless.
It’s the easiest way for the Warriors to three-peat, and their fans should feel a whole lot better about their chances after Thursday night.
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