When you are a top 3 player itl and you join a top 8 team you are forming a super team, especially when that team is perfectly suited for you

The argument of OKC being a top 8 team without him isn't good here because Westbrook isn't a top 3 player itl if he can't have that insane usage rate.

OKC is a 9/10th best team itl without Durant because RUSS has been unleashed, if Durant comes back they are a top 4 team, but not a top 1 team because him + a 40%usg rate guy is not as good as him + top 3 DPOY and 2 insane shooters

You are all terribly underrating the fact that the Draymond/Durant defensive combo is insane, and without Durant there's no 7 footer Small forward to switch on everything and defend the rim as good as teams having a top rim protector

You are underrating that the Warriors still have 3 top 30 players and are a team completely in tune with one another like a well oiled machine. No one is acting losing Durant is a small deal, in fact I posted earlier itt that their championship equity is hurt pretty bad if he doesn't come back healthy, it's just that they legit could have had the most talented/best fitting team ever- their gap above the league was big enough that they could lose Durant and still have the most title equity in the league. It's absolutely crazy to say they are worse than teams like Toronto, Boston, and Utah.

Defense with Durant + Draymond - 101.4
Defense with Draymond no Durant - 102.6

That's not much difference imo, but it definitely affects the offense. They are merely a +6.7 net rating team with Durant off, which is still well within the top 8 and better than everyone except the fighting Kawhi's.

I think you are underrating the diminishing returns that KD brings, although the casualfan in me is thinking they might struggle to put the ball in the basket at good rate just because a lot of what made them so special last year (death by 1000 cuts) is not on the team. I think they'll figure it out somewhat.

I mean Barnes is better than KD in the playoffs anyways

I will say that lost in all the Nurkic love is that Portland lost a game to Denver in the standings in the process, and have been playing pretty bad overall:

Portland with Nurk 2-3 with a -4.4 point differential
Denver sans Nurk’s 4-3 with a +6.6 PD

Portland’s wins – @Orlando by 9, Dipoless OKC by 5
Denver’s wins – GSW by 22, BRK by 20, CHI by 18, MIL by 12 where they led by 31 late in the 3rd

Denver's surge might be addition by subtraction, and they have a pretty favorable schedule over the next eight games or so.

LOL

the raptors? celtics? jazz hands???????? cmon man

ya whatever happened with the kyrie flat earther thing? someone itt just said "oh he was making it up" and that was the end of the discussion. did he actually say that?

ok ok i see tz jumped on that as well. gras doing work itt like usual.

I'm afraid dood might lose it if POR w/ Nurk ended up passing DEN for the 8 seed.

In the same way Victor would be if the Cavs lose to the Bulls in the playoffs, or any other big upset that has happened.

Ya he admitted in an interview he was just goofing.

Great exposure for Frye/RJeff's pod tho.

Wasn't Denver sans (a french word for something) Nurk even before the trade? Like as in he wasn't even getting minutes.

Nurk was a basketball sink when he was on Denver.

Just saying Seadood comparing W-L and attributing it to a guy who was barely playing prior to counting the W-L seems like fishing.

Removing the toxin from the locker room tho

You did mention that OKC was "dipo-less" in Portland's win vs them while failing to mention that GS didn't have Klay @ Denver nor did they particularly try very hard.

You're forgetting to mention Denver getting daddy-dicked by Wiggins<Garry Haris in this stretch.

Denver was without Gallo, Faried, Wilson Chandler, Arthur, or mudiay for the Goldent State and Minnesota games. I think that offsets Klay enough to not mention it. Agree they caught lightning in a bottle that night though. Their most impressive wins have been their last two.

The Minny game was a bad loss to an inferior team, not having a healthy small or power forward other than Juancho and the first game incorporating Plumlee may have had something to do with it though. I still thought they'd win though.

And besides I never mentioned either teams losses, why are Minny fans so sensitive?

not sensitive, just drunk. Carry on.

Too drunk to mention that I snuck in a troll word in there

Spurs need to go back to starting Dedmon, let the Spaniard Gasol come off the bench.