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The NBA has taken its precautions with tanking, as commissioner Adam Silver sent a league-wide memo warning teams against it, threatening with harsh penalties for teams that blatantly do so during the remainder of the season.
For Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors, tanking is the farthest from an issue, as they closely trail the first-place Houston Rockets for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, thing Durant noted prior to facing the Atlanta Hawks on the road.
Teammate Klay Thompson said the team would try to win out every single game until the regular season is over, prompting Golden State had yet to go on one of their notorious double-digit game win streaks, as they have the last few years.
“Obviously we want to win every game we play,” said Durant. “That's not like a goal we're trying to set like ‘let's see if we can win out.' We just want to play good basketball.”
“Every team wants to win every single game (catches himself) — well, not every team (laughs), but our goal is to play as hard as we can and win every game.”
Kevin Durant discusses potentially winning out, and some teams’ desire to tank: pic.twitter.com/ZPN31h8n08
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) March 2, 2018
Yet Durant put himself in the position of less-fortunate players in bad teams, still maintaining the competitive nature of a player often clashes with the long-term vision of an executive in this league.
“I just think (tanking) is more of the front office, business side of things,” said Durant. “I don't think the players are going out there trying to lose, but if the GMs are telling the coaches who to play and bringing in G League guys — obviously you're gonna try to get that pick.”
Durant hasn't been in a tanking situation since his first few years in the league, and if luck sticks by his side, not any time in the rest of his career with another championship within sight.
