One NBA feud no one saw coming was the raging battle between Kevin Durant and Charles Barkley. Over the last few months, the two have been at a war of words. The NBA on TNT analyst drew first blood when he called the four-time scoring champion a ‘bus rider’, while talking about his stint with the Golden State Warriors. Since then, Barkley has launched numerous attacks against the Phoenix Suns forward. And now even a ‘good friend’ of his feels his criticism was a little too harsh.

Recently, Barkley called KD ‘very sensitive’ and someone who feels they can’t be criticized. This opinion wasn’t well received by fans. During the recent episode of ‘Know Mercy’, celebrated analyst Stephen. A. Smith showed his support for Durant and called out Barkley for his unfair criticism of the Easy Money Sniper.

Stephen A. Smith aligns with Kevin Durant in his feud against Charles Barkley

When it comes to Durant’s legacy, it has been scrutinized thoroughly due to his decision to join the Golden State Warriors. The 13-time All-Star has won both his titles as a part of one of the most loaded rosters in NBA history. However, Smith pointed out it wasn’t the first time a superstar had joined forces with another talent. In addition, he said that the only reason the Warriors had dynasty days was because of Durant.

The only issue Smith had with the Suns forward was his joining a team that had just broken the single-season record for most wins. But he wasn’t new to the pattern. Going over Barkley’s assessment of Kevin Durant being ‘sensitive’, the ESPN analyst believes the two-time champion has earned the right to be.

The veteran NBA reporter responded to Barkley’s opinion saying, “Let’s not act like Kevin Durant is the first person to go to a team and position himself for a championship. It just wasn’t a team that great.” Speaking about the Slim Reaper’s stint with the Warriors, Smith claimed, “We all knew Kevin Durant was the best player on the team. You can’t disrespect this man. I won’t do it. Even though I love my man Charles Barkley and love to agree with him, I can’t agree with him here. I just can’t. Kevin Durant has a right to be sensitive.”

While the 55-year-old TV personality disagrees about the sensitive part, he does agree with Charles Barkley to some degree. According to Smith, it is the right of fans to expect the best to compete when they are being paid huge amounts in salary. The ESPN analyst also held KD accountable for saying legacy doesn’t matter. His main issue is with superstars who show no sorrow in loss.

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Is Stephen. A. Smith right about Durant’s run with the Warriors?

Before KD, the Warriors had all the pieces in place. Fresh off a championship in 2015, Stephen Curry led them to a regular season record of 73 wins. However, during the NBA Finals, the NBA world witnessed one of the biggest meltdowns. The infamous 3-1 comeback by LeBron James-led Cavaliers crushed the spirits of the Bay.

That was when not Durant, but the Warriors chose the elite scorer. His entrance changed the scales of power within the NBA. For two years, the Warriors were arguably invincible. When healthy, KD spearheaded them to win consecutive titles over LeBron James. Without him, the Dub Nation probably wouldn’t have had two additional banners up in the rafters.

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As much as it is held against him, Kevin Durant was the final piece the Warriors needed to be a dynasty.