ESPN.com’s Chris Haynes covered LeBron James’ return to the Cavaliers and Cleveland’s first championship in 52 years. It was one of the most epic sports stories ever told.
But even Haynes agrees this season’s Golden State Warriors trump the Cavaliers in terms of intrigue.
“There’s something different about this. It’s much more grander,” Haynes said on KNBR 1050. “And when you look at what’s at stake — a 73 win team who added one of the top players in the league to that equation — this is unprecedented territory, unchartered waters.”
And what about that ever-present villain storyline that seems to go away. The Heat dealt with it in LeBron’s first season in Miami, and James admitted it made him play out of his element in an NBA Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Will it be a burden for the 2016-17 Warriors?
“Sometimes players want to embrace that (villain) role, but they can’t. LeBron even talked about it in his first in Miami, and he tried, and he couldn’t do it,” Haynes said. “He came up short in the playoffs, had a horrible final series. Later on as he got older, he learned to embrace it.
“Kevin Durant and Draymond Green are saying the right things. It’s all about what happens in between those white lines. We’re not listening to the external chatter. We’re not going to be swayed by that. But the point is, you’re not that lovable team you were the last few years. Kevin Durant has changed that. Their still going to be fun-loving, shooting three-pointers, smiling and laughing like they always do. But it ain’t the same. If they falter, you’ll have to say does this team have the character to be able to handle such scrutiny on a daily basis?”
Our Kevin Jones wrote a column in July on why Steve Kerr should no longer embrace the villain role. While it seems like it’s an overplayed storyline, it’s something that will be documented and monitored throughout the year.