Andre Roberson says the Thunder would've had a dynasty if Durant never joined the Warriors

The 2016 Western Conference Finals will always be a heartbreaking nightmare in the Oklahoma City Thunder ’s past.

On the cusp of a return to the NBA Finals, pride and jubilation were overflowing on the side of OKC after securing a convincing 3-1 series lead over the 73-win Golden State Warriors. It was monumental not only for Oklahoma City but also for the entire basketball world, with the NBA’s greatest regular season team facing elimination.

But following this glorious moment, the world turned upside down for the Thunder, in a shocking turn of events. They crumbled when it mattered the most, with one win away from advancing to the championship stage. OKC became vulnerable, got punched in the mouth, and couldn't recover again, suffering a historic choke job by losing in the next three games against the Dubs to advance to their second consecutive Finals.

A bittersweet memory

It was a roller coaster ride for Andre Roberson to look back into. He fully saw how he and the Thunder already had all of the odds in their favor, only to see all these disappear in the blink of an eye.

In his recent appearance on Above the Rim podcast, the former OKC All-Defensive wing went straightforward in discussing the West Finals collapse against the Warriors as the best and worst memory of his career.

“Honestly being up 3-1 against the Warriors was dope,” Roberson said. “At that time, you obviously beating one of the greatest teams of all time while being up 3-1 in the series. Just having everything in gel for us as a team throughout our struggles, trying to find that chemistry, trying to get everything down packed throughout the season, and then finally clicking in the playoffs, us hitting on every cylinder, to all falling apart, I would say the [2016 WCF] was the best and worst.”

Roberson was having the time of his life in that West Finals clash against the Dubs. As the OKC’s defensive ace, he was the driving force in the team's lockdown clamping both Stephen Curry (44.3%) and Klay Thompson (41.6%) in their shooting efficiency, and he never disappointed on both ends by tallying 9.0 points, 7.4 boards, 1.4 steals, and 1.1 steals. Yet despite his gallant effort, he and the Thunder ended up at the wrong side of history.

“Looking back on it, it's like, ‘Damn, I wish I would have did this, did that, Game 6, have fouled him pretty hard or try to get in his head a little bit.’ You start replaying certain memories. I will say that's one of my best and worst memories,” he added.

OKC would've been a dynasty if KD remained

Following that defeat, the rest was just a tale told.

Positioned to run things back the following year, OKC got betrayed when Kevin Durant controversially left in the offseason by taking his talents to the Bay Area. Generally deemed the weakest move a superstar can make, KD’s departure massively affected the balance of power in the NBA, making the Warriors an overpowered, unbeatable dynasty for a significant stretch.

Yet, from Roberson’s perspective, OKC would've been in Golden State’s position if Durant had never abandoned the franchise.

“It altered the NBA because Kevin left after that and joined the Warriors. If we would have stayed together, he would have re-signed, 99% I would say we go create a dynasty after that, and they would see us every year,” Roberson claimed . “Ultimately, that, I would say, changed the face of the league to a degree.”

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