The revamped Golden State Warriors -- still featuring the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green -- have all but clinched their sixth trip to the NBA Finals in eight seasons. By outlasting the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday, they now own a commanding 3-0 series lead, and no team in history has ever overcome that ominous deficit.
Barring a monumental collapse, the Warriors will compete in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2019. And this time, they won't vie for a championship with Kevin Durant. The veteran superstar, who's now spent three seasons as leader of the Brooklyn Nets, left Golden State in free agency, following its Finals loss to the Toronto Raptors. Since then, Durant hasn't reached the East Finals, and one of his former teammates believes he should regret leaving the Warriors.
"I think it was [a mistake]. You never want to fault anyone who wants to go out and try something different. Especially somebody like KD. But it's been a low-key trainwreck," former NBA forward Matt Barnes told The Zach Gelb Show on Monday. "KD's obviously done his part, played his butt off. He came back and played like he never tore his Achilles. An MVP level every time he steps on the floor. But his teammates haven't been able to carry their load...
"We really haven't seen the Brooklyn team we initially thought we were going to see. So, I'm sure there are probably days when he thinks about, 'Damn, if I would've stayed, we'd probably have four or five rings by now.' But again, you can never fault somebody for wanting to explore other options. You only have one career. So you want to make the most of it... There was no mistaking who was the best player on that team, when he was there."
Brooklyn's season, which was chock-full of injuries and unusual drama, ended with a thud last month, as they suffered a pitiful first-round sweep against the Boston Celtics. Although Durant wasn't to blame for their premature exit -- he averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 boards, and 6.4 assists in 58 regular season games -- the team will be remembered as one of the biggest busts in league history. Durant, 33, signed a four-year contract extension with the Nets last summer.
As for the Warriors, which earned the West's third seed with a 53-29 record, they'll play Game 4 against the Mavs on Tuesday at American Airlines Center (9 ET tipoff). According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Warriors currently have a 95-percent chance to reach the NBA Finals and a 27-percent chance to capture their fourth championship since 2015.
The entire Warriors conversation between Barnes and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.