Golden State Warriors Signed Kevin Durant for Moments like Game 3

As if the basketball world needed another reason for the Golden State Warriors signing Kevin Durant last summer, look no further than the outcome of Saturday night’s Game 3 against the Utah Jazz. On a night where the Splash Brothers faced a drought, Durant put the team on his back.

In the NBA Playoffs, there are few pivotal moments that match the importance of a game three in a series. The winner can either gain valuable momentum to shift the series in their favor or all but cement a series sweep. The Golden State Warriors utilized this opportunity to seal the Portland Trail Blazers’ fate in the first round, and they did so once against the Utah Jazz.

But on a night where Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson seemed unable to find their shot, they needed a little extra help from their superstar acquisition in Kevin Durant get the victory.

While it’s certainly amazing to see Durant’s skills at play (38 points, 13 rebounds, 4-of-8 from 3-point range), Warriors and NBA fans alike shouldn’t be surprised to see this type of efficiency. Furthermore, the basketball world shouldn’t be surprised as well as to why the Warriors, coming off a 73-win season and minutes away from repeating as NBA champs, jumped on the opportunity to sign Durant last offseason. Simply put, they brought him on board for moments like this.

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Golden State has already proven that “jump-shooting teams” can indeed win championships, but the truth of the matter is that no player, not even perhaps the greatest shooter in NBA history in Stephen Curry, is guaranteed to be red-hot from beyond the arc every single night. When your top-two scorers are shooters like Curry and Thompson, they will have cold shooting nights. And if both happen to struggle, it will certainly spell doom. This indeed happened to Golden State in the NBA Finals last June, and as a result, they looked to Harrison Barnes to be that third scorer.

When the opportunity arrived, Barnes failed to take on that responsibility. He brought much-needed defense but when his number was called on the biggest stage, he proved to be an offensive liability. The lack of a true third scorer to spark the offense proved to be the difference in Golden State hoisting the trophy for back-to-back championships. Bob Myers knew he needed to correct this weakness, and signed Kevin Durant.

Just like Barnes during the NBA Finals, Kevin Durant’s number was called during Game 3 in Salt Lake City against the Jazz. Curry (6-of-20 shooting) and Thompson (1-of-9 shooting) struggled and were held in check, and the time came for Durant to prove why Golden State not only wanted, but needed him.

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With 38 points on the night and a last-second bank shot to seal the win, Kevin Durant “called game.” It didn’t matter if the Splash Brothers went dry from the three-point line and it didn’t matter if the Jazz slowed the pace and forced the Warriors into half-court basketball. Kevin Durant is on this team, and he reminded everyone why the Warriors have their sights set on a third consecutive trip to the finals.