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Americans love surprises and the feeling of suspense that comes when there’s genuine uncertainty about what lies ahead.
It’s why we go to the movie theater on the first night the new hot flick premiers. It’s why we caution our friends to limit spoilers when we miss our favorite TV show and have to go back and watch it on DVR.
And it’s also why we, as a society, love sports.
They’re unpredictable.
When you sit down to watch an athletic competition, there’s always hype because no one has any definitive idea about what lies ahead.
Sure, some of us think we know, but even the most informed fan can offer nothing more than an educated guess.
Sports are like the weather. Things can seem to be one way in the present, but then be completely different in the immediate future.
The teams we think will win often lose. That’s fun. And they often lose to proverbial nobodies — a squad full of average Joes. In every sport, there’s always an underdog Cinderella story that sprouts up from the darkness.
That’s what makes this job so fun. It’s why I wake up in the morning anxious to go to work every, single day of the week.
OK, now, let’s get to the point.
Kevin Durant signing with the Golden State Warriors is probably a bad thing for both basketball fans and the NBA as a whole.
I’m just not quite sure how fun the league will be when only one or two teams have a legitimate chance to win.
I respect Durant’s decision. It was done legally and within the confines of the NBA rules.
But it’s not the choice I would have made if I were living inside of his shoes. I’m too competitive. I couldn’t have found it in myself to take my talents to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Sure, by being a Warrior, KD has everything lined up to win two, three or maybe even four or more NBA Championships.
But whatever happened to being a competitor and wanting to climb the mountain while paving your own trail?
I’m not anti-super team. My point is just that Durant had a team capable of doing everything needed to win the final game of the NBA season.
Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Warriors in Game 7 last season. They held a 3-1 lead and were one win away from beating Golden State and reaching the NBA Finals.
They are one of the elite teams in the NBA, and after a couple recent trades, an argument can be
made that they were the team to beat in 2016-17.
Whatever happened to coming up short and then busting tail to come out on top in your next crack at glory?
Since when is the instinct to lose and then join forces with the best team on the block?
Michael Jordan never did that. Neither did Kobe Bryant … or Larry Bird … or Magic Johnson … or Isiah Thomas … or any of the other great players who made the game what it is today.
If the Warriors are as good as advertised, the NBA won’t be nearly as fun.
Who likes to watch a team win every game by 20? Sure, it will be fun for a while and it will be exciting for fans in California. But the casual fan wants excitement and unpredictability — much like we got this past playoffs when the Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the world and won the NBA Championship.
If that unpredictability goes away, it’s not good for fans, nor the league as a whole.
Durant to the Warriors is bad, and chalk me up as one of the many fans who isn’t excited about the possibilities.
Sure, some of that is selfishness because it means that my beloved Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans are behind the 8-ball in the NBA hierarchy.
But it also is disappointing to see one of the league’s most beloved stars take the easy way out and take the “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” approach.
You’re better than that, KD.
You should have stayed with the Thunder and tried to win one on your own.
With the Warriors, you’ll get zero percent of the credit if you win and 100 percent of the blame if you lose.
It’s a no-win situation — for everyone.
No one likes to watch when we already know who’s going to win.
