Both Durant and James have a lot riding on this series, with Durant likely to get a lot more questions, and likely to do a lot more soul-searching should the chip bounce to the other team. This a well-travelled road for James. In 2010, he made about the same decision Durant made in 2016, when he became part of a super team, to speed up the actualization of his Championship dream. What he ended up with in 2011 was heartbreak. In 2014, he moved again, this time in search of legitimacy at home; as it was in 2011, so it was in 2015. Heartbreak. But LeBron made good a year later on both occasions, but not until after enduring negative media and public scrutiny, a fallout of the lost Finals.

That is what lies ahead for Durant should the move in 2016 end with heartbreak in 2017. Both James and Durant already share a personal knowledge of the backlash that follows a high-profile move —James in 2010, Durant in 2016. But the Durant move of 2016 received more ire than the James move of 2010, for the simple reason that the Oklahoma City Thunder team of 2016 looked like a team on the cusp of another NBA Finals, more than the 2010 Cleveland team did. Oklahoma had run defending Champions Golden State Warriors close, and lost only because they fell apart at the wrong time: a 4-3 loss, after taking a 3-1 lead.

LeBron left for Miami after losing the Conference semifinals 4-2 to the Boston Celtics, and that was after attending two Conference Finals and one NBA Finals in four years; Durant’s Oklahoma, on the other hand, had played four Conference Finals and one NBA Finals in six years, only for him to leave after narrowly losing a Conference Final.

That is the burden Durant will carry, should Golden State lose: the unending jibes. A continuation of the emotional debate that started last summer; Durant could have stayed to help Oklahoma over the hump one more time, and maybe win it all. But then again, the thought of the likely onslaught may be the fuel he needs to deliver the performance which the Warriors, and all the teams that courted him, hoped for when it became clear Oklahoma had ceased to hold any appeal for the eight-time All-Star. But in the final analysis, all the Warriors would want from Durant will be just two things: a continuation of what he’s been doing in these playoffs and if possible, a repeat of the numbers he posted in his first foray at the Finals.

Durant is averaging 25.2 points per game in the playoffs, second only to Stephen Curry. He is also second in rebounds with 7.8 rebounds per game, but it is his field-goal percentage that pops the eyes— Durant is shooting .556 percent, the best of all starters. If those averages look remarkable, then Warriors fans should get ready for a treat when the Finals tip off, especially if Durant gets into the zone the way he did in 2012.

The Washington native was hovering around 28.0 ppg in the playoffs, but shifted onto another level during the Finals. Durant was the clear top scorer in two of the five games, and joint-top scorer in one. He went on to average 30.6 ppg to lead everyone, and his .548 FG% was the best for Oklahoma City, and third best in the Finals. The 2017 Warriors are far superior to the 2012 Thunder in many ways: one plays selfless, team basketball while the other thrived on isolation plays. And while both are talented, four All-Stars are definitely better on a roster than two.

Durant weathered the fallout of his move to Oakland, and he may just be the last man on the podium, facing the press, when the dust settles on this Finals. If that happens, then it would all be worth it.

By Akinbode Oguntuyi