Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors talks to Kevin Durant #35 during their preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers at ORACLE Arena on October 4, 2016 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
What happens when you combine the heart of a team that won an NBA record 73 games last season with superstar forward Kevin Durant? You just might call it Superteam.
That’s the status the Golden State Warriors have created for themselves after the off-season signing of former Oklahoma City star Durant, a four-time NBA scoring champion, to a two-year deal worth $54.3 million.
“It’s new and fresh. I’m looking forward to it,” Durant said of joining the Warriors. “I’m super excited.”
After the Warriors lost last year’s NBA Finals to Cleveland in seven games, they toughened their lineup by adding the 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player to a roster featuring 2015 and 2016 MVP Stephen Curry and 3-point sharpshooter Klay Thompson in the backcourt plus standouts Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala up front.
“The stakes will be a lot higher this year than they were last year just because of adding Kevin,” Warriors guard Shaun Livingston said.
The Warriors set an NBA record by going 73-9 in the regular season and grabbed a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship series only to be foiled when LeBron James sparked the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.
“I don’t want to walk in the door thinking about game seven,” Curry said. “But you should remember how you felt walking off the floor. You should remember all you did all summer to get yourself in a better position individually and collectively.”
NBA general managers said in a poll they expect Golden State to face the Cavaliers in the finals for a third consecutuive season next June, what would be the decider in a heavyweight trilogy.
“There’s no more pressure on us than there was last year,” Curry said of bouncing back from the upset to defending a crown.
The Warriors dumped a fistful of reserves and traded Australian center Andrew Bogut to Dallas to make salary room for Durant, who reached the Western Conference final four times in six years but has yet to win a title.
“We just try to get better,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers said. “You never expect to get this much better.”
‘Can’t do any better than adding KD’
Warriors coach Steve Kerr has four All-Star starters and was watched Durant score 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game in the pre-season with Curry averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals.
“You can’t do any better than adding KD to the current crew,” Kerr said. “To play with them and play our style, I think that was attractive to him. It does feel like it should be a perfect fit. It’s going to be a lot of fun once we get rolling.”
Thompson, Durant’s teammate on the US Olympic gold medal team in Rio, is hitting 19.5 points a game and he and Durant are each shooting about 55 percent from the floor.
“It still shocks me that he’s on our team. It’s unbelievable,” Thompson said. “For a guy who has had so much success in his career and is so young, he doesn’t walk around like he’s better than anyone else.”
Green was suspended for game five of the finals after taking a swipe at LeBron James as the Cleveland star stepped over him late in game four. While he was back for the last two contests, his absence helped the Cavaliers avoid an early ouster and planted seeds for the fightback. Green apologized to teammates but there is concern about keeping his fiery nature under proper control.
“If you try to temper him too much, are you taking away his edge?” Kerr said.