The 2016 NBA playoffs are viewed by many as a huge turning point in the history of the game.
The Warriors, of course, came back from a three-games-to-one deficit in the Western Conference finals against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder, but then blew that same lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. That offseason, Durant left the Thunder and joined the Warriors, with, as the story goes, Draymond Green's "parking lot texts" after the Warriors' Game 7 loss to the Cavs serving as a catalyst.
However, the story isn't as dramatic as initially believed. Durant and Green discussed the infamous texts on the latest episode of "The ETCS podcast Kevin Durant" podcast.
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Durant: "I done heard a couple stories. From my end, we sent some texts on just, 'Yo, I seen that? You seen that? Alright, bet. That's really what it was, bro. It wasn't no urgent FaceTime call. It was exactly what I just said. 'Yo, you see what just happened?' 'Bet. Alright, I'm on the way.'
Green: "That's exactly what it was. It was this whole narrative of, 'You called Kevin crying from the parking lot.' I'm like, 'Yo, this s--t can ... like y'all added a theatrical sense to make this s--t a movie. You got to make s--t for TV, but you got to add on a little bit. So people just started pouring on bro, but I wasn't about to come out and fight it. However y'all think Kevin got here in your mind, just roll with that if that's what helps you out."
Durant: "Also, with OKC fans, they thought me and Dray was literally hanging with each other chilling during the conference finals. When I heard that s--t, I was like, 'What the f--k? Who do y'all think I am? Do y'all think Draymond would hang out with me over at the conference finals?' Come on, stop the bulls--t."
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Golden State Warriors
Durant, of course, joined the Warriors and won back-to-back titles and NBA Finals MVP awards in 2017 and 2018. He ruptured his Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors before leaving the Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets that summer.
Now all the way back, Durant has been playing at his typical all-world level while helping lead his new superteam to the top of the Eastern Conference. Durant returned to the court Wednesday after a two-month absence with a nagging hamstring injury.
Durant and the Nets look like one of the title favorites this year, while Green and the Warriors are fighting to hold on to the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference and get the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Had Durant and the Thunder held on to knock off the Warriors in the 2016 playoffs or had the Warriors not blown a 3-1 lead, KD likely never would have called the Bay home. Two playoff collapses and a few texts turned the NBA on its head and created a behemoth the likes of which we might never see again.