The NBA is back, ladies and gentlemen, and we couldn’t be happier. Since Tuesday, Oct 16th, all 30 teams are cycling through their first games of the season. The Golden State Warriors are projected to Three-Peat at top betting sites like Bovada, and we could see why in their 108-100 season-opening performance against a tough OKC Thunder team.
MVP Performances
Durantula and Steph are both on the odds board for season MVP. Kevin Durant is sitting around the middle of the road at +950, with Stephen Curry towards the end of the progression at +1500. Of course, LeBron James leads the pack at +300. People have high expectations that he’ll have a career year in his first season in Los Angeles.
If Tuesday’s game is any indicator, both Curry and Durant are both on track to stay in contention for MVP race. Kevin Durant put up 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in his 38 minutes on the court. Steph dropped 32 points on Westbrook and the Thunder, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists in 37 minutes.
It’s already looking like it could be a long season for the rest of the NBA playing against Durant and the Warriors. But What is more important, NBA season MVP or NBA Finals MVP? This could be Durant’s last chance for Durant to snag another Finals MVP in Golden State.
Dub City Speculation
Last year, KD signed on for one more season in the Bay, but there was no talk of a future in Oakland beyond the current campaign. Now, some Instagram action on one of KD’s posts after the Warriors Tuesday night win has people in an uproar.
Kevin Durant posted on his Instagram account, ‘1 down, 81 more. What a night!!” By itself, the post seems innocuous. However, Tony Durant, Kevin’s brother, replied with the comment, “Yessir brother!!! Filling the hand up before we get outta here!
The comment is breaking the internet like a picture of Kim Kardashian’s oiled up bum. Is he going to New York? Is he retiring? The free agency rumors were already burning nicely, then Tony Durant went and threw kerosine on the fire.
It gets even more interesting when you add the calculus of another ring or not. If the Warriors win again, will Kevin Durant be willing to risk the chance at being the first modern team to four-peat? The Celtics won eight straight … but that was back between 1959 and 1966 … it wasn’t even the same game. Would KD give up that “history books” opportunity?
It would make sense for KD to move on to a bigger paycheck somewhere else in the summer of 2019 if the Golden State Warriors lost in the 2019 Finals or before. He could do some reputation repair and go back to being the main star on the team. But it seems inevitable that the Warriors win, Boogie is on the squad now, which makes the Warriors even scarier. And even though they had to cut some talent at depth to pick up Cousins, they just seem too strong to not go all the way again.
We Need Some Clarification
Tony Durant clarified that “filling the hand” equals getting rings, and “outta here” equals retirement. But there has been free agency talk about Durant heading over to the Knicks for some time now. Chris Haynes stated that the lure to move to New York is similar to how LeBron felt about going to LA. There is a culture that goes along with playing for the Knicks that KD wants to be a part of. Whether or not this is true, it would be nice to see both the Lakers and the Knicks in contention at the same time. It would also be great for the NBA to spread out the talent a little bit better.
Whatever the case … we’ll be tracking Durant’s free agency rumors like a potentially deadly hurricane.
