This past Saturday night we saw what was surely one of the best games of the NBA regular season thus far. The Oklahoma City Thunder led the Golden State Warriors for pretty much the entire night until Stephen Curry hit an unbelievable three pointer in the waning seconds of overtime to win the game for Golden State. There were multiple storylines that surrounded the game, and while Curry's incredible shot to win the game was clearly at the top of the list, I think there are a few other storylines worth mentioning.
The first of those is something that I think has been more and more noticeable as the past few seasons have progressed, but for one reason or another, I think has been downplayed. When LeBron James came into the league with all of the fanfare that surrounded him, the spotlight shined bright on him, and all of his successes and failures, no matter how big or small, were highlighted. And for the point right now, his failures were well documented and picked apart with a microscope. After he won two titles, the burden has surely lessened, but people still look at his failures and put more weight into them than all of the success he has had. Whether fair or unfair, it is simply the truth. However, one of the parts of this past Saturday's game that has been overlooked is that Kevin Durant seems to be the "new LeBron" as far as coming up short when it matters most.
When the Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, it was seen as a long overdue coronation of James. People looked at Oklahoma City and thought they would have plenty of time to reach the mountain top in the future. However, that has not happened yet. Injuries to Durant and teammate Russell Westbrook have certainly played a part in it not happening yet, but I think we need to face the fact that in the biggest moments, Durant has not yet delivered what every NBA superstar covets, and that is a championship win. Down the stretch of the game this past Saturday, we saw more of the same. Durant played a great game, but he also made some crucial errors.
Trapped in the corner after taking an inbounds pass, Durant threw a terrible cross court ball that was intercepted and eventually allowed Golden State to tie the game and send it into overtime. Then, he followed that up by fouling out. The foul may have been a cheap one, but when you are a superstar, you simply cannot foul out of a big game like that, and he did. I don't want to dwell on Durant anymore, because I like him, but I think people need to at least realize the fact that he has still not delivered on the biggest of stages, and if they want to rip LeBron to shreds over each and every failure to deliver, then I think they need to be fair and do the same with Durant, because they are both superstars.
What really made me want to write this piece though, was the immediate reaction of people to a halftime tirade by Draymond Green. Green went off in the locker room at halftime about some sort of disrespect that he felt about his mistakes being highlighted. Supposedly, head coach Steve Kerr was the one who set Green off, but no matter the original cause, Green's tirade was magnified by many reporters. My response to those who magnified his actions to the degree that he had to publicly apologize is this: Really?
Professional athletes are a different breed. Whether it be basketball, football, hockey, baseball, or any other sport, you cannot deny the fact that these guys are wired differently than other people. They are driven by an attitude that has given them the opportunity to be in their position. They find motivation in the smallest of slights, whether it be personal or professional. That is what makes the cream of the crop exactly that. Michael Jordan is known for his ability to take the simplest thing and turn it into an unbelievably motivating factor, and he is praised for doing so. Pro athletes understand that, and what is even more important, is that they respect and appreciate that. So there is a reason that Green's tirade is being viewed by his teammates in a manner that is in stark contrast to how it is being viewed in the public eye.
To outsiders, Green may been seen as a selfish individual who was wrong in criticizing his coaches and teammates. But in the place that really matters, the locker room, I am willing to bet that his coaches and teammates have zero problem at all with what he did. Green wasn't disrespecting his team. He was motivating them, even if he didn't know it at the time. What he did showed the people in the locker room that he really does care about wins and losses, and too often it seems like there are players who do not truly care about that. So how did the media respond to what Green did? They blew it out of proportion. How did his team respond? They went out on the court and won the game. In my mind, that is what should be the focus here. When it comes to issues off of the court, that is when teams may need to worry. However, this was not an off-court issue. This was only about what was happening on the court, and therefore, what Green did was only being done with the best interest of the team in mind, no matter what people outside that locker room might say.
There is a reason that great teams and great players are great, and their attitude about the game is key in helping them reach such a level. Draymond Green is a very good player on a team that has the potential to become one of the greatest ever. And what Saturday night showed me was that not only can Stephen Curry shoot the three as well as anyone we have ever seen, but he is surrounded by teammates that truly care about the team. A public apology may have been necessary to quell the media uproar about Green, but I can assure you that no apology was needed in that locker room, and at the end of the day, for a professional athlete, the feelings in his locker room are the only ones that really need to matter.
Daily NBA Update: As I said, the Warriors beat the Thunder in an unbelievable game, and they now sit at 53-5. They aren't there yet, but they continue to climb the ladder ad are getting closer and closer each and every night to the peak of NBA regular season history.
Daily Rangers Update: The team acquired Eric Staal in a trade with the struggling Carolina Hurricanes in what is clearly a win-now move. The Rangers are tied 1-1 in the third period right now with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and this is a game they should win. Hopefully, it ends that way.
Daily Giants Update: Nothing really new to report here, as the Giants, just like every other team in the league, is scouting the incoming draft class at the combine. Jerry Reese cannot afford to miss on another first round pick, so hopefully whoever it is the team ends up drafting turns into a key contributor during the 2016 season.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: The team signed Rickie Weeks to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, so there is now officially a logjam in the middle infield. Second base and shortstop are probably the two biggest questions that need to be answered, and the Diamondbacks have a number of options to choose from. However, the problem is are any of those options really good ones? The games start soon, so all we can do is watch and hope that someone separates himself from the pack so we can go into Opening Day with a strong roster from top to bottom.
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