Andre Iguodala was ready to run it back before the Kevin Durant debacle turned his world upside down. The former Golden State Warriors Swiss army knife remembers a disappointing exit from the NBA Finals, still with something to prove this 2019-20 season.
Asked if he was ready for the Warriors' dominant run to come to an end after five years of long postseason play, the 16-year veteran admits he still had some gas left.
“No,” he told Ethan Strauss of The Athletic. “I feel like we had something to prove again. The way we played that Game 6. We had the game, like, one or two possessions to push it to a Game 7. The way we played that night, Steph (Curry) was due for a big game. I had it going that night. We felt like we were going to run it back. We always felt like we had something to prove. And we felt like people didn’t respect us like they should.”
The Warriors were the juggernaut many complained about after they added Durant, with tiffs of the NBA's lack of parity and the obsession over superteams. Now that the league has officially entered the dynamic-duo phase once again, Iguodala thinks the league is missing the dominant Warriors.
“I think it’s showing this year, with everything that’s happening around the league. I think they’re kind of missing us,” he said.
Asked if he referred to television ratings, the now-Miami Heat forward was quick to nod.
“Right. You said that,” added Iguodala. “I think they’re kind of missing what we brought to the table the last five years.” He paused on that thought. “You know, people don’t know what they’re missing till it’s gone. They don’t appreciate it till it’s gone. But we always knew it was something special. As long as we were connected and the core was together we were in prime position to keep making runs at it.”
Iguodala was a casualty from the Durant debacle, as the Warriors needed to package him to the Memphis Grizzlies to create enough space for a sign-and-trade maneuver. He spent the bulk of this season away from the Grizzlies until the Heat came calling with an offer to extend his contract for two years and $30 million, one too tough to refuse.
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