The dynamic duo of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have had to endure stretches of one without the other between the last two seasons. Durant's first season with the Golden State Warriors in 2016-17 saw him have a lengthy absence in eerily similar fashion, as Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat landed on his knee, causing a Grade 2 MCL sprain that kept him out for a long stretch.
The four-time scoring champion found his groove as he entered the postseason, posting 30-point games in seven of his final nine games en route to a Finals MVP award.
Curry could be mirroring that same trajectory, as a barreling JaVale McGee landed on his knee late in the season, causing his absence for 16 games, including the first six postseason games of these playoffs.
The two-time MVP has found his shot once again and could be in line for his first Finals MVP award after two great performances to start off the series.
But most importantly, Durant and Curry have found the right groove despite constantly missing each other through their first two seasons together.
“We’ve figured out a good balance,” Durant said, according to Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News. “I think being able to play off each other definitely helps. Not just us, but definitely everybody else on the court. We play off each other well.”
Perhaps what has helped the most is both players share that unselfish nature that is so rare, that it has made other superteams implode in the past due to clashing interests.
“We want to see each other succeed,” Curry said. “We got a good chemistry going.”
While Durant's arrival at Golden State was filled with questions of whose team this was and who would be the flag-bearer for the Warriors moving forward, the two stars instead became instant partners, an attitude that is now reaping its savory fruits.
“There’s just a sense that we’re all on the same team,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Nobody cares about whose team it is and all that stuff. Our guys just play. There have been games KD has had to take over. There have been games where Steph takes over and lots of games in between.”
Boasting a 2-0 lead with a chance to steal one on the road Wednesday night against their long-storied rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers, that unselfishness will prove the ultimate key to unlock this puzzle and muster a second straight title for this star-studded partnership.
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