Kevin Durant

Chris Broussard explains why you shouldn't criticize Kevin Durant for ring-chasing

Published Jun. 13, 2017 12:16 a.m. ET

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Andrew Lynch

Kevin Durant is the toast of the NBA after knocking down a clutch 3-pointer to secure the Golden State Warriors' Game 3 win and a historically insurmountable 3-0 advantage in the Finals.

Some people are calling him the best basketball player on the planet; others are content identifying him as the most cold-blooded assassin in the Association.

On Thursday, Chris Broussard welcomed NBA writer Sekou Smith to the "In The Zone" podcast to break down whether KD has surpassed LeBron James, how the Golden State Warriors would fare against the 1996 Chicago Bulls — and other legendary NBA teams — and how the Cavaliers made a mistake by not emulating Muhammad Ali in the NBA Finals.

You'll definitely want to check out each and every one of those discussions, but that's not all Broussard had to offer on this week's show, as he and Smith explained why you shouldn't accuse Durant of "ring-chasing" by joining a Warriors team that won 73 games in 2015-16:

BROUSSARD: "Now, [Durant] had pressure on him, because everybody was dogging him for going there. And he is doing exactly what he had to do to get people off his back. Because I don't think people are going to criticize him after he leads [the Warriors] to a championship."

SMITH: "You can say whatever you want about him in a couple days, it ain't gonna matter."

BROUSSARD: "And see, I do think that he had to come in this series and be at least a huge factor. Like, I don't think if they won this, and he averaged 15, 17 points a game, and Klay and Draymond or Steph lead them ..."

SMITH: "And win the Finals MVP, that's different. That's ring-chasing."

BROUSSARD: "Exactly. But when you go to a team and you lead them, and when you say, 'You wouldn't have won it without him,' ... "

SMITH: "That's ring-hunting."

BROUSSARD: "Exactly."

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