Steve Nash: Durant and Curry will help Warriors to title

There will be growing pains but former NBA star Steve Nash believes Kevin Durant and Steph Curry will lead the Golden State Warriors to a second championship in three seasons.

The glamour team of the NBA, Kevin Durant’s high-profile arrival to the Bay Area sparked predictions that the Warriors could ease their way to glory in 2016-17, having broken the regular-season wins record last season with 73.

It will not be that easy for the Warriors this season, as Durant, two-time reigning MVP Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will attest, following Golden State’s blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs on opening day.

While Nash – a two-time MVP and eight-time All-Star – predicts some bumps along the way, the 42-year-old says the Warriors will have their hands on the Larry O’Brien Trophy come June next year, after losing out to the Cleveland Cavaliers last term.

“I was surprised that GSW lost on opening night. Spurs are good but didn’t think they’d lose that badly,” Nash told Omnisport.

“They’ll have growing pains but on other nights will play the most beautiful basketball. That’s the process.

“We’ll see if the Warriors are beatable at the end of the year, they’ll change a lot before then. Spurs are one of the favourites as well.

“Steph and KD will come together just fine. They’ll bump into each other occasionally, they’re a little out of their comfort zone. They will have to adapt a little bit to each other.

“This year is about winning a championship. Health and chemistry are good. San Antonio will play Golden State in the Western Finals and hard to look past by GSW.”