OAKLAND — The All-NBA teams were announced during the Warriors’ practice on Thursday and the players were met with the news walking off the court.
Kevin Durant and Steph Curry — winners of the last three MVP trophies — headlined the second-team, while Draymond Green found himself on the third-team. Klay Thompson was held out of the consensus top 15 players. Paul George and Gordon Hayward were other notable snubs.
Durant, Curry and Green were appreciative of the honor. However, Green thought it was strange that the team with the best record in the league did not have one member on the All-NBA’s first-team.
That’s why Green took issue with Thompson being left completely off the list. Thompson finished the season averaging a career-high 22.3 points per game and his 46.8 shooting percentage was the second best in six NBA seasons.
“I think it’s bull s***” Green said at practice. “You look around the team what did we win 67 games or something? We probably handed teams three or four (wins). You’re talking about a 70-win season. Klay is one of our top three guys. To not be on the All-NBA team I think is pretty crazy. There’s some guys on there as scorers averaging 20 points and don’t have as near amount of wins as we have. How he could be left out, I don’t really understand it. Also the way Klay can defend, I don’t understand it.”
Thompson, in his typical non confrontational way, had no problems being left off the list.
“Nah,” Thompson said. “It’s alright.”
It was Durant who thinks the new NBA awards show, slated for late June after the Finals, will overshadow a special moment for players who win awards. A few years ago, Durant had one of the signature moments of his career — and it was off the basketball court. His 2014 MVP speech was a tribute to his mother, his teammates and the city of Oklahoma City. It was a speech that went viral and transcended the sports world. It was a feeling he’ll never forget, but now new winners of awards won’t get that type of reaction.
As for the All-NBA team, Durant’s not stressing about it.
“Obviously I fee like I should be a first-team player,” Durant said, “but it is what it is. Just keep working, keep getting better, keep building the foundation I set 10 years ago.”
