Through a swap in the small forward spot of the starting lineup, the Golden State Warriors have already proven their offseason acquisition to be the right move, as Kevin Durant has outscored Harrison Barnes‘ offensive output of last year's seven-game finals through only two games in this year's NBA Finals.
Per @ESPNStatsInfo: Durant's 71 pts in 2 gms have already eclipsed the 65 that Harrison Barnes scored in the 7 Finals gms combined last year
— Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA) June 5, 2017
Durant scorched the Cleveland Cavaliers for 38 points in Game 1 and followed with 33 more on Sunday night's Game 2 to total 71 combined points. Barnes averaged a measly 7.2 points per game as the fourth option on the roster, a difference that has proved obvious in the two encounters between these two teams.
The Warriors' four-headed monster has been able to obliterate any notion the Cavs had of defending this team, bringing a whole other dimension with a former MVP and bona fide scorer in Durant.
His 55.8 percent field goal efficiency has been key throughout the postseason and is showing in bunches now that he's taken shots with more regularity.
Durant has dominated the small forward matchup in the NBA Finals and has been a world of difference from what Barnes was able to give this team last year, totaling more blocks (five) in Game 2 than Barnes had the entire series (four).
The 2014 MVP was forced to play center for several possessions last game with Draymond Green hounded by foul trouble for most of the game, doing his best impression of him tallying 13 rebounds, six assists, five blocks, and three steals along with his game-high 33 points.
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