Durant: 'I'm glad' Warriors lost Game 7

While Golden State's epic collapse in last year's Finals was certainly deflating, it appears the Game 7 defeat could also be considered a blessing in disguise.

Kevin Durant believes that had the Warriors won, Golden State wouldn't have been as desperate to sign him when free agency rolled around, greatly diminishing his chances of landing in the Bay Area.

"I was telling on my friends, (my agent) Rich (Kleiman), who's here, we were watching Game 7," Durant told Anthony Slater of The Bay Area News Group. "Well, as it started to unfold, it was, 'No question, no way could you go to this team,' And I was just like a kid, like, I'd really like playing these guys. I'd get wide open threes, I could just run up and down the court, get wide open layups. I was basically begging him. I was like, 'yo, this would be nice.' So as I was thinking about my decision and who I was gonna play for, this team came to mind."

Although many of his new teammates are still devastated by their Game 7 performance, Durant can't help but feel a sense of happiness when he looks back at the 2016 Finals.

"You know, as they lost, it became more and more real every day. You start to think about it even more. To see if i would fit. Then once I sat down with these guys, everything that I wanted to know about them they kinda showed me. But we don't have to talk about it though because they didn't get the job done and they came after me and who knows what would've happened. But I guess you could say I'm glad they lost."

Following his lackluster Warriors debut, Durant has come alive over his last two preseason games, totaling 46 points on 14-of-21 shooting.

Golden State will tip off its regular season later this month, playing host to the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 25.