The apparent feud between Kevin Durant and NBA insider Chris Broussard doesn’t appear to be coming to an end.
Things started on Monday when Broussard said the Warriors winning this year’s NBA title without him would be his “worst nightmare.” Durant took exception, and responded accordingly:
Broussard didn’t immediately respond, but he did go on FS1’s Undisputed on Wednesday to address the situation. In the video below, he claims, “KD has gone at me much harder privately.”
Durant responded by downplaying his relationship with Broussard soon after that video was posted:
Durant is keeping things interesting while rehabbing his injured right calf. He hasn’t played since Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against Houston — and the Warriors haven’t lost since.
It’s worth exploring the context that seems to be the root cause of this beef.
In Durant’s absence, the Warriors have played some of their best basketball all season. Specifically Steph Curry, who scored 36 points or more in all four of the Warriors’ wins over Portland in the Western Conference Finals.
He’s looked more like the NBA MVP that he was before Durant arrived in the summer of 2016. There’s also this, from The Mercury News’ Dieter Kurtenbach: The Warriors have won 30 of their last 31 games when Curry plays but Durant sits. All of that evidence supports the broader narrative that Golden State doesn’t need Durant in order to have meaningful playoff success.
Durant’s status for the NBA Finals, which will begin on May 30, remains uncertain.