But this crew grew up together. They became All-Stars together, champions together. They didn’t need the same type of fellowship. They’ve done their bonding dinners and team parties and group outings. The building of the Warriors, beginning with the Mark Jackson era when David Lee was a veteran leader, included numerous team-bonding events that created the chemistry the Warriors’ core has. Now they have these brotherly relationships without needing to spend significant time with each other off the court.

The team outings and bonding sessions decreased over the years. The Warriors became a collection of players that bonded on the court and largely went their separate ways once work was done.

Durant is as affable as can be. When they were together, especially in his first season, he was easily one of the guys. Remember the barbecue at Curry’s house in Durant’s first year with the Warriors, featuring the SuperVillain balloons? They enjoyed each other’s presence. But over time, Durant and the pack grew more and more distant. And this past season, Durant was much more alone. He and his teammates talked less.

Green’s blowup on Durant in November seemed to doom any chance they had of staying together. But it actually prompted them to double down on each other. Curry was more aggressive about fostering unity, trying to fix what was fractured. Green went into reconciliation mode. Veterans like Iguodala and Livingston did their part to hold the locker room together. Durant had a tendency to be isolated but eventually, especially towards the end of the year, they locked in as a team.

By the end of the year, they seemed as tight as they’d been in a long time. But in hindsight, it seemed more like an unspoken pact to just enjoy whatever time they had left. They all seemed to buy-in. They looked unified. They talked about each other glowingly. Even while injured, Durant was engaged with his teammates.

When it was all said and done, they had respect for one another, appreciation for what they had, but not enough to stay together. It looked as if they might have found their stride in time to keep this group going. But in the end, it proved to be their best attempt at ending on a good note.

Maybe if Curry and Durant actually became the duo they seemed destined to be, on and off the court, they’d be ushering in a new era at Chase Center. Maybe if they linked up at different times in their lives, under different circumstances, in a different media landscape, they could have built something that could have survived.

But it didn’t happen. Now Durant is headed to Brooklyn, having linked up with his good friends, with whom he already has a great rapport and a relationship established over many years. So Curry stopped in New York simply to say thank you. They had a relatively short time together, but it was a helluva ride.