Any team in the Warriors’ position—pretending, for a moment, that any ever were—couldn’t help but have a unique relationship to luxury. On some level, Kevin Durant could only be a luxury addition for a team that had already won a title as previously constructed. On another, DeMarcus Cousins seemed a luxury as the fifth star joining the back-to-back champions. Opulence became a part of the Warriors' brand, as inextricable from the team as their Splash brotherhood, their bravado, and their collective intelligence. Golden State doesn’t just win on talent or wits, but by having the most to work with at any given time.
The KD-Less Warriors Rise to the Moment That Once Seemed Beyond Them
