When Kevin Durant made the huge decision last summer to join the Golden State Warriors, it immediately put them as the heavy favorites to win the 2017 NBA Finals.
Despite those lofty expectations being thrown upon the Warriors with Durant in the mix, surprisingly, the topic of making the NBA Finals was not one of the talking points for the former MVP when came to the team, according to Joe Noga of Cleveland.com.
Article Continues Below“I didn't talk to these guys when I made my decision and say ‘We better make it to the finals and be up in the series around this time, this exact date, or I'm not coming,'” Durant said. “I mean, it was just ‘Let's just have some fun playing ball. Let's just all get better and see what happens.”
First and foremost, Durant was looking for a fresh start for his career after repeatedly falling short with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He wanted to experience something completely different and joining the Warriors has provided just that with their unique team chemistry and unselfish play on the court that has made them quite successful over the last few years.
This willingness to fit into Golden State's playing style has made it quite a seamless transition in his first year that has them just one win away from earning the 2017 NBA title. He has become their leading offensive force which has been put on full display through the first three games of the series averaging 34.0 points per game on 56.1 percent shooting from the field.
This is an undervalued part of his game as things could have easily headed in the other direction if he didn't want to buy in the team's philosophy and playing style on the court. In truth, Durant's ability to follow suit is a huge reason why they are knocking on the door of winning this year's title and could add many more in the next few years.