Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant - The MVP of the post season so far: NBA Feature
Kevin Durant is playing like a man possessed this post season and perhaps the reason is his anger over not being named the regular season MVP.
Durant is the scoring leader of the current season, his third title in as many years. He finished the season with more points per game than Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. And now he has stepped up his game to a whole new level in
the playoffs.
The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s Western Conference Finals. This year, they are playing with a renewed passion as they firmly believe it is their year to go all the way and win the championship.
Durant is rising to the challenge to lead his team to just that.
KD was critical in the Thunder’s 4-0 sweep of the defending champions Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. He hit the game winning shot in game 1 against the Mavericks and set the tone for the rest of the series.
In the series currently in progress against the Los Angeles Lakers, Durant scored the game winning shots in game 2 as well as in game 4, making him the go-to guy for the Thunder offense in crucial moments and the best finisher of the playoffs this season,
ahead of Kobe and LeBron James.
In the first round of the playoffs against the Mavericks, he averaged 26.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. As phenomenal as those numbers are, he has improved them in the series against the Lakers, averaging
27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3 assists per game. He has scored 31 points in each of his last two games against the Lakers.
Durant is well on his way to becoming the post season MVP.
Nobody, not even LeBron and Kobe, have had a similar impact as Durant in the playoffs. Apart from his statistics, his ability to finish the game has been tremendous to say the least, with the latest proof being the game winning
three-pointer that Durant scored in the final minute of game 4 against the Lakers. He looked so calm and composed and went up for the shot which the Lakers never saw coming.
Durant has also been a great success on the defensive end, averaging around 8 rebounds and a couple steals in the postseason. This series, he has been given the tough assignment of guarding Kobe Bryant, and has done a great job
on him, using his height and long arms to his advantage.
In game 2 and game 4 against the Lakers, Durant forced the crucial turnovers by the Lakers that enabled him to score the game winning shots.
In short, Durant has been nothing short of impressive in the playoffs. His ability to score and close games, matched with his defensive hustle has left teams surprised and without answers. After the San Antonio Spurs, his Thunder
team has the best playoff record so far this season, having dropped only one game. This might be the year that the Thunder finally over take other teams for the NBA championship, led by their leader Kevin Durant.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
Tags: