Durant is currently positioned as the guy not quite as good as Kobe or Lebron, but with the potential to be the best player in the league for the next 10+ years. How will he do that? He's gotta man-up and prove it THIS YEAR in the playoffs.Last year he was roughed up by Artest in the first round and had an overall lackluster series. This year hes got the pieces around him. Hes got his Scottie Pippen in Westbrook, hes got the big guy in the middle in Perkins... Harden is slowly developing... Ibaka has size and athleticism. In other words, hes got more than enough to make a deep playoff run. Lebron, in comparison, had MUCH less to work with in Cleveland and was relatively close to winning a title.
Durant's gotta come up with big individual performances, hit big shots down the stretch, BE CLUTCH. Jordan has trouble with tough teams like the Pistons and the Celtics early in his career. For Durant, the major obstacle is the Lakers. This year he wont play them in the first round, so that part shouldn't be a problem. If he ends up playing the Spurs, he's gotta lead his team past them. NO ONE on the Spurs should be able to hold him.
The only teams the Thunder should lose to this year are the Lakers or the Celtics. Anyone else and Durant didn't do enough.
Does he have the killer instinct in him or will he end up as one of those guys who was incredibly gifted but couldn't take it to the next level? We'll see.........
He needs to step up, or just become T-Mac already
ReplyDeleteHow the hell can you say LeBum was close to a title?
ReplyDelete1) He played in the East
2) He had one Finals appearance out of a Very shitty Eastern conference to get swept in the Finals.
3) When the teams got better, he really couldn't get out of the East.
4) By all accounts of your LePunk comparisson, he should win a title this year since he now has talent around him.
Also, Kevin definitely has killer instincts. This weekend against the Lakers, with his team trailing, he was calling for the ball and for the last shot in what was a miss but showed some chops.
Durant is also 22. I agree he has the talent around him to go deep in the playoffs but that talent around him, like that Bulls team you mentioned, is very young and one more year of seasoning may be needed for a legit playoff push.
Your hate for Lebron makes for a biased argument.
ReplyDeleteLike you mentioned, Lebron led a shitty-ass Cavs team to the Finals. Look at what happened when he left the team - they lost almost 30 games in a row.
Meanwhile, you're commending Durant for "calling for the ball". Last I checked, his team lost the game.
There is no used debating this issue: Durant is going to have to prove himself in the playoffs. If they continue to lose in the early rounds (especially the first), he is not doing a good enough job.
My LeBron points are all truths. He took a team to the Finals and got swept. I don't think we can call that being close to winning. I needed to clear that up. Also, LeBron now plays next to one of the top 5 players in basketball. By your comparissono to Durant, he should win it all this year...no excuses.
ReplyDeleteWhen I mention him calling for the ball, that's just supporting the killer instinct thing. Game on the line, he wants the ball. That's all I meant by that.
I agree Durant needs to make a move and a playoff push, but like those Bulls teams, there may be one more season needed to get them there.
I'll give him one more season although he does need to show some improvement soon. At least show some flashes in this year's playoffs. The West isn't that great right now.
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