Kevin Durant snubs 73-win Warriors, says Cavaliers were most talented team in 2016
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant was in the mood to drop some fiery takes Tuesday. During the same interview in which Durant said the Knicks were not cool anymore, he also made the bold proclamation that the Cleveland Cavaliers — and not the 73-win Golden State Warriors — were the most talented team during the 2015-16 season.
The 31-year-old Durant made that comment during a lengthy interview with Hot 97 in New York.
Even KD thinks the 2016 Cavs were the most talented team in the league. pic.twitter.com/AEjNurskGv
— jeremiah (@_2human) October 8, 2019
The conversation started after Durant was asked about the most devastating losses he’s suffered as a pro. Durant shrugs off the suggestion that the Oklahoma City Thunder losing to the Warriors in 2015-16 was one of the worst losses of his career. He explains that he felt like the Thunder had an “uphill climb” in 2015-16 due to the strength of their opponents.
“We’re playing against a 73-win team in the Warriors, and the Spurs who were a 67-win team that year. And then the Cavs were the best team in the league — most talented team — so I’m like, ‘We’ve got an uphill climb, let’s just see what we can do.’”
The 2015-16 Cavaliers went on to defeat the Warriors in the NBA Finals. The series went to Game 7, but LeBron James and the Cavs were able to pull out a win. It was Cleveland’s first major sports title since 1964.
Durant became a free agent that offseason and decided to join the Warriors, and Golden State went on to win two championships with Durant.
Durant caught a lot of flack for that decision. A number of NBA fans criticized him for making the best team in the league — the Warriors — an even bigger juggernaut. Durant doesn’t seem to think that was the case, but fans aren’t likely to buy that narrative.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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