Steph and Russ

KD was caught in quite the love triangle with Steph and Russ

Before I delve into the substance of the title of this post, I first want to thank and give my deepest appreciation to all those who have listened, followed, subscribed, liked, favorited or retweeted anything related to The Lach Podcast. I will continue to post new podcasts in the coming days/weeks, but thought it would be interesting to get back to writing as well. I’m going to conclude this little preface before it begins to sound like a Sarah Jessica Parker Emmy’s speech.

I feel like watching the Warriors this year will feel a bit like watching reruns of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. No, not the critically acclaimed Mr. and Mrs. Smith directed by Alfred Hitchcock, but the Mr. and Mrs. Smith starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Maybe it’s because I’m the Hollywood gossip king or just a person living in the 21st century that I remember it was during the filming of Mr. and Mrs. Smith when Brad Pitt supposedly cheated on then wife-Jenn Aniston with Jolie. When following the Warriors it’s going to be tough to look at Kevin Durant and not think “KD you were with Westbrook (Aniston) did you really need Curry (Jolie). I thought what you guys had together was special”. Granted there were obviously other players, influencers, locations and business ventures involved in Durant’s decision process, but we all know that Westbrook is going to take KD’s jump from OKC to Golden State as KD choosing Curry over RW.

Kevin Durant’s choice to leave Oklahoma City and Russ for Golden State and Steph not only shakes up the Association, but it ignites a flame in the already smoky rivalry between Russell Westbrook and Steph Curry, two guards with distinctly unique styles of play who represent two different facets of the NBA. Furthermore, it leaves arguably the two best guards in basketball, separated by less than a year in age, in two completely different places.

Steph, a guard from the Mid-Major Davidson who owned the NCAA tournament, is a wiry boyish looking point guard who’s game is centered around his craft. When Steph walks on to the court it looks like he should get bulldozed by any of his opponents, but instead he gracefully avoids them with his handles and incomparable offensive awareness. Most impressive though is his shot. When the ball is in Steph’s hands, a heave appears to be the only way he can muster up the strength to make a basket. However, with a flick of the wrist Steph launches the basketball from anywhere on the court no matter who is guarding him and executes with precision we’ve never seen before. When fans watch Steph they awe at his skills, but rationalize to themselves that his game is replicable because it is not based primarily on athleticism or God-given strength. Steph’s craft is not just pleasing to the eye of the fan, but also to the statisticians. Over his past two seasons, both of which have concluded with MVPs, it is Steph’s efficiency that has made him a once-in-a-generation talent. He has made the 50,40,90 club (50% FG, 40% 3P, 90% FT) with ease while also leading the league in scoring this past season. Moreover, this past season he posted a God-like PER of 31.5 while also leading the NBA in True Shooting Percentage, Offensive Win Shares, Win Shares, Value Over Replacement Player and Win Shares per 48 minutes. He amazes Twitter while simultaneously leaving NBA statistical junkies like Zach Lowe dumbfounded. Steph’s highlight Twitter-magnet plays coupled with his never-before seen efficiency make him the perfect 2016 superstar.

About 1,450 miles away you can find a (newly extended) Russell Westbrook. The locomotive from UCLA, who had an under the radar career in college, could not be built more differently from his rival. Besides the equal height of 6'3'’, Westbrook looks like a superhero, chiseled straight from stone. On the court it’s even more obvious that Westbrook is immortal, as his takeoffs from anywhere on the court produce thunderous dunks that immediately send waves of adrenaline into the crowd. Unlike his counterpart who uses his elusiveness, Westbrook makes it clear where he is at all times and has no issue running by or through you, so long as you know his end goal is the basket. When fans watch Russell, it’s like watching LeBron, he’s as natural of an athlete as they come. Over the past two years he has posted Oscar Robertson esque numbers, averaging nearly a triple double and in some stretches posting triple doubles game after game. Westbrook’s kryptonite though is probably Westbrook. His raging bull style comes with errant passes, rushed long two-pointers and of course a consistent overdose of three pointers. Westbrook shot below 30% from 3-pointers the past season two seasons and has posted high turnover numbers as well. He’s powerful, intimidating and unpredictable, leaving him as the NBA’s ultimate wildcard.

While both players show emotion on the court, it comes out in completely different ways. Curry celebrates as much as anyone, but his celebrations feel boyish. He gallops around in excitement, hits his chest lightly like David Ortiz and smiles no matter what is going on. Westbrook on the other hand expresses himself with an anger and adrenaline that is palpable. In pregame warmups you can find Westbrook dancing with guard Cameron Payne to March Madness by Future or any song by Migos. Westbrook seems to need the pregame dancing just to release his excess energy. During the games it is commonplace to see Westbrook unleash a massive scream after an and-one or a scorching dunk. When the game is coming down to the wire, if Westbrook hits a massive shot you will see a double gun salute, a vicious pound to the chest (which would lead to an immediate heart attack to anyone else) followed by three curled bear fingers pointed to the air and most importantly, the snarl.

Beyond their differences in physical makeup, style of play and on-court expression, Durant’s decision to bolt Oklahoma City leaves each star in unchartered territory. While some have deemed that Westbrook has always been the star and alpha-dog of the Thunder, with the absence of Durant Westbrook now has the opportunity to solely lead a young core of talented players such as Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams and Enes Kanter. Westbrook had a taste of being the lone star during Durant’s 2014–2015 injury-riddled season, but he quickly saw how difficult it was to balance leading, playing his style and adapting to his teammates’ needs. Though playing 110% and trying to do everything on his own seems to be in Westbrook’s DNA, it will be his maturity that is ultimately tested during the 2016–2017 NBA season. For Steph, it seemed that disappointment and hardship was allergic to him over the last two years, until the 2016 NBA Playoffs. Injuries coupled with a devastating NBA Finals loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, after being up 3–1, left Steph off cloud 9 and back on planet earth. His wife’s social media presence along with his outburst in the NBA Finals, when he threw his mouth guard, had fans questioning whether Steph really is the perfect superstar. Now, the once beloved NBA sweetheart is joined with the NBA’s newest villain, Kevin Durant, and the pressure could not be greater. If coming back from the NBA championship in 2015 was hard, one can only imagine how tough it will be to enter an NBA season coming off the best record in NBA history and being a part of the biggest free agent coup since LeBron James. While Russ’s angry unpredictable demeanor was viewed as arrogant and immature on the thriving KD-Russ Thunder, now he is the lovable leading underdog. On the other hand Steph’s flawless Warriors took the NBA storm by two years ago even as doubters claimed that a “shooting team could never win an NBA Championship”. With an offense that ran like Popovich and Jackson morphed into one, all anyone could talk about was the on the court brilliance in the Bay Area. Now, two years later, the Warriors are on the verge of becoming the West-Coast 2010–2011 Miami Heat. The hate obviously isn’t as strong, but it’s safe to say that the narrative tides have changed in Oklahoma City and Golden State.

So, Durant left Aniston, I mean Westbrook. He was married to him for the past eight seasons, but just like Pitt and Aniston, it ended in divorce. Durant saw the once in a generation talent of Jolie, I mean Curry, and the once in a lifetime opportunity to join a super-team that some are already deeming as the best squad in NBA history and it was too good to pass up. While the basketball and off-the-court factors such as endorsements and the opportunity to live in a new city were important, it’s hard to not dissect Durant’s departure as a choice of Steph over Russ. It’s a choice of new-wave basketball with efficient threes, ball movement and fun over unpredictable and one-on-one play and extreme highs and lows. It’s a choice of calm, cool and collected over anger, adrenaline and momentum. It’s precision and perfection over power and intimidation. It’s two competitive men who play the same position and want the same goal, but go about it in vastly different ways.

It’s Steph and Russ.