Warriors | golden state warriors | The Warriors survived another Kevin Durant

Let us be clear: The argument that the Warriors are more fun without Kevin Durant has merit. Durant is one of the best isolation players in the league, and he turns to face up one-on-one offense with some regularity. That reduces the amount of insane ball movement we see from the Warriors at times. (That said, Golden State is among the most assist-heavy teams ever.)

But the argument we heard late in the regular season about the Warriors being better without Durant? No. No no no no no. That is just not true.

Durant showed his worth on Saturday as the Warriors beat a frisky Jazz team 102-91 to go up 3-0 in the series and 7-0 in the playoffs. Klay Thompson was cold all night, and Stephen Curry didn't get it going until the fourth. Draymond Green suffered from foul trouble (taking time out to taunt the SLC fans as they jeered him). But Durant was extremely rude all night, both in and out of play. The result: a win.

The Warriors would look completely unbeatable if not for a certain unbeaten team in the East.