The Golden State Warriors made short work of the Portland Trail Blazers, are in the middle of a much-needed 9-day hiatus before the start of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night — and all everyone can talk about is whether the Warriors are better without Kevin Durant.
Remember, it wasn’t too long ago that for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, the entirety of the NBA world was heaping praises on the much-maligned superstar. Once deemed as a player who “took the easy way out” by joining a 73-9 team, Durant was afterwards seen as the safety valve of the Warriors, who were unexpectedly struggling against the 8-seed Los Angeles Clippers, which coincided with the sudden struggles of the Warriors’ central superstar, Stephen Curry.