Listen to this stat: Kevin Durant leads the in scoring yet he doesn’t lead his team in field goal attempts.
Now think about that. Insanely efficient right? That’s been Kevin Durant’s season this year; undoubtedly an MVP-like campaign. He’s shooting 50.5% from the field, 41% from three and 90.8% from the charity stripe. The guy is scoring the basketball with such versatility and such proficiency that he may become only the sixth player to join the exclusive 50-40-90 percentage club. Unfortunately for Durant, these efficient numbers won’t be able to garner him this year’s MVP, not when LeBron James is still in his prime.
If James stays healthy he should easily win the MVP for the next 3 or 4 years, barring some other weird non-injury related scenario like LeBron leaving to go play in the NFL. That’s where Durant will be denied his chance to make the NBA his. He’s clearly the second best player in the league, but he’s a distant second to LeBron.
The only way Durant can match LeBron this year is if he beats him. Of course, both of these guys would presumably take collective gold over individual glory, but both of them deserve the MVP. It’s just that LeBron’s athleticism and talent enable him to do things that no one else would even attempt such as guarding both a point guard and a center in the same game. Put it like this, Kevin Durant is the best player on the planet and LeBron James is the best player in the universe.
An interesting way to look at this is how will Durant react this time if the Heat and Thunder meet in the NBA Finals. As a whole, the Thunder probably have more talent, but the trio of Chris Bosh, LeBron and Dwyane Wade are unstoppable. Last time the Heat showed their experience, flexing their muscle in five games versus a less experienced Oklahoma City. Maybe LeBron’s dominance will inspire Durant and push him to another level. But this situation, both this season and for the next few years, is similar to the way Michael Jordan stood in Patrick Ewing’s way in the 90s. The only time Ewing ever made the Finals during Jordan’s prime years was when M.J. took a hiatus to play baseball.
I just hope Durant can get at least one while LeBron’s on top, right now it looks unlikely.
Harmony on the Hardwood 