Just as the world was in the midst of celebrating the Fourth of July and in full-on “I hate LeBron” mode, as the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated their historic championship win, the sports world received some news that sent shock waves to fans all over the globe.

Kevin Durant’s decision was in.

A betting man would have said he would return to OKC, but turns out that a betting man was wrong, and he had done the unthinkable — he was signing with the Golden State Warriors.

Now of course, immediate reactions were ones of horror, and there was the occasional burning of jerseys, but the real hysteria was surrounding the comparisons between Kevin Durant leaving the Thunder to that of LeBron leaving Cleveland for Miami.

Truth be told, Kevin Durant’s decision was far less admirable than LeBron’s for a number of reasons, but in the sake of time, five reasons will have to suffice.

1. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

The world watched in shock as Kevin Durant and company strolled into the Western Conference Finals after a shocking defeat over the Spurs. It seemed liked these Thunder were on a mission, and carried their momentum over from the last series to an astounding 3-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors.

We all know how that turned out.

Of all the treacherous things Durant could've done, this was by far the worst. It's an unspoken rule in the world of competition that you don't hop on the winning team's bandwagon. If you're at the park and your team loses a close game to the team that has been running teams off the court all day, what do you do? You go back and play them again, in the hopes of beating them this time around.

As simple as this example may be, this is essentially the spirit of competition, and the beauty of why we love to play and to watch sports — for the competition. This is why the finals this season were so epic. LeBron came back and knocked the Warriors off their throne.

Kevin Durant ignored all this, and decided that his new motto in life was “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” not even two months after a devastating collapse to these very Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

Tsk tsk, Kevin. Tsk. Tsk.

2. And then there was one...

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. KD and Russ. Russ and KD. No matter how you chose to address them, we could all agree on one thing — they were a hell of a duo. They were the kind of tandem that you will tell your kids about, and are sure to be on some "best teams to never win a championship" list in the future. Seeing these two incredible talents play together for the better part of a decade was a great experience, and helped build a proud and faithful fan base in Oklahoma City.

Sadly, all good things come to an end (except Tim Duncan's career).

After having a fearsome four in OKC just a few years ago, made up of Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka, only Westbrook remains.

I never thought I would see the day where these two weren't teammates, but alas, that day is here. Durant made the business decision and Russ is left to clean up the mess in OKC.

3. Legacy

Kevin Durant is without a doubt a first ballot hall-of-famer, but at the end of the day, he has no rings, and winning a ring on the Golden State Super Friends will have its significance, but it will be far less significant than if he would have won one in OKC. I'm sure that Golden State will be in the driver's seat for a championship, and chances are that they will win it, but sorry Kevin, there will always be an asterisk there in the hearts of true fans of the game.

4. OKC Got Better

Somehow OKC managed to commit highway robbery and got three quality players for Serge Ibaka. I don't know how they did it, or what the Magic were thinking, but somehow they pulled it off. The OKC management got Durant some quality pieces added and needed depth in the hopes of meeting the Warriors in the Conference Finals once again, but sadly, there will be no rematch. Durant is gone and Westbrook and the new additions are looking to the stars in confusion.

5. Admitted Defeat to LeBron.

Kevin Durant has always been second fiddle to LeBron, and his move to the Warriors further emphasizes just how much help he needs to usurp LeBron for the NBA crown. Durant couldn't do it with the help of a superstar, and now joins a team full of potential hall-of-famers. It's now or never for this ring, Kevin. Time is ticking. No matter how many rings he ends up with in GSW, his legacy will never live up to that of LeBron's.

At the end of the day, Durant will go down as one of the best players of this generation, but will forever have this career move as a defining moment for good and bad reasons. LeBron was crucified for his move to Miami, and Durant is taking his fair share of verbal attacks as well, but the reality is that Durant took the coward's way out, and LeBron made the right move by taking a career hiatus to Miami.

Godspeed Kevin, and I hope you finally get that ring.