The Brooklyn Nets receive the Golden State Warriors tonight in the tip-off of the 2020/21 NBA season. Both teams enter the season with a lot of expectations and this game is the perfect way to see where they stand after a moved offseason.
Kevin Durant will face his former team and he had nothing but good words to say about them. It was the same for Stephen Curry, who had big praise for KD ahead of their encounter. Even though they will be rivals today, love and respect will always be there between them.
The two stars took the Warriors to three straight NBA Finals, winning two titles in the process but now it’s time to go in separate ways with the Nets and Warriors, respectively. Before they go against each other, though, Durant and Curry had very good things to say about one another.
Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry exchange big messages before Nets-Warriors game
KD was quick to shut down that narrative about him and Draymond Green not getting along, explaining that they have kept in touch and talk to each other every now and then. He explained that when you reach important stages with some players, win championships and play Finals, the bond you create is different.
“I keep in touch,” Durant told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke on Dubs Talk. “I’ve seen Draymond. We saw each other at a restaurant. It’s good to see him and his family. I talked to Steph a couple of times. It’s good to see from afar, see that everyone is doing well, and realize that these bonds that we created will never be broken no matter what jerseys we have on, no matter what part of the country we all live in.”
“From Shaun [Livingston] to Andre [Iguodala], JaVale [McGee], Steph, Klay, Jordan Bell, Omri [Casspi], Nick Young; when you see guys you won a championship and had long playoff runs with, you have a different connection. I’m very grateful for my time in the Bay Area and I’ll always be a Warrior in my heart.”
On the other end, Curry also had good words for Durant, explaining that he enjoyed their time together, recalling all the times he was blown by KD’s talents on the court.
“You’d always kind of find yourself in awe of stuff that he could do on the floor,” Curry said, via Monte Poole of NBC Sports. “And I know he’s commented about [the same feeling] with me. That was a big part of our success, was kind of feeding off each other and that energy and that pursuit of greatness every day. When you see it up close and personal, you have no choice but to kind of meet that level every day.”
Durant and Curry became a deadly duo in the Bay and until 2019, they were the biggest threat to the league. Unfortunately, their association came to an end after the 2018/19 season, when the Warriors lost the Finals to the Toronto Raptors. Durant signed with the Nets that summer, ending his successful yet controversial tenure in Golden State.