The 2014-15 edition of the Golden State Warriors went 67-15 during the regular season. The 2015-16 edition of the Golden State Warriors went 73-9, of course. One championship and one near championship resulted from these campaigns. Those two record-setting teams, having compiled an astonishing cumulative 2-season record of 140-24, had something significant in common besides their winning ways: neither had Kevin Durant. So far this year the Kevin Durant-led Warriors are 50-10. Durant will now miss what looks like the remainder of the regular season — or a good portion of it — with a sprained MCL.
Ho hum. Add a yawn, too. The Warriors like their chances. Sure, it’s not just Kevin Durant that’s different about these Warriors. Former Warriors cog Harrison Barnes is a Maverick, Andrew Bogut is about to be a Cavalier. But the core of Golden State’s dominating lineup — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green — remain. There may be no team in NBA history better-suited to withstand an injury to a star player than these Warriors. There’s even a contingent of fans — loyalists to the pre-Durant era — that are going to enjoy it. Quietly, Curry, Green and Thompson are likely going to enjoy it a little too.
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