A true superstar doesn’t hit only 23.8% of his field goals attempts (taking 21 shots) as his team faces elimination. But Kevin Durant had to be everything for the Oklahoma City Thunder in their conference semifinals series, and ended up without anything left to give in the final two games. Serge Ibaka and Reggie Jackson actually put up the numbers they were supposed to in giving him the helping hand he needed, but it was a little too late, as Durant couldn’t find anything left in his arsenal in the fourth quarter. More
For about three quarters, Kevin Durant and the rest of the players around him were doing exactly what the optimistic among the Oklahoma City Thunder personnel knew they should be doing in order to win the series. Knock down their shots, and try to hurry up the game as much as possible. At some point, reality hit them in the face. Without Russell Westbrook it was easy to focus on their best player down the stretch, and the guy who thinks he should be the best in the NBA wasn’t good enough to live up to his own desires. More
When you look at the transition offense the Oklahoma City Thunder had during the regular season, the best in the NBA, and what they’re trying to pull off now, you suddenly realize why Russell Westbrook is so important, despite his obvious shortcomings. Kevin Durant is trying to do everything for his team, but it doesn’t seem to be enough, and it’s not certain he has anything else to give. More
It’s hard to point a finger on the one reason the Oklahoma City Thunder have been looking so bad on the court, regardless of who is missing. Reggie Jackson is doing a good job in the place of Russell Westbrook, but Kevin Durant needs more from what worked during the regular season – Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin, who have been disappointing, to say the least, the Western Conference Semifinals so far. More
It took LeBron James a little while before getting recognized as the best player in the world, but there was little doubt about his ability to carry a team without too much talent around him to playoff success. Kevin Durant, realizing life without Russell Westbrook isn’t a all its cracked up to be, might dream of becoming the best player in the world, but he’s someway off that “title” at the moment. More
When a player wants to improve his own individual statistics, having a co-star like Russell Westbrook, who takes more than his fair share of shots away from Kevin Durant, get injured, isn’t such a bad thing. But the Oklahoma City Thunder want the NBA title, not for Durant to score at will. And yet, certain numbers from the regular season suggest it isn’t the end of the world. More
The recent string of season-ending injuries to NBA stars like Kobe Bryant and Russell Westbrook has just made the list even longer, with Rajon Rondo, David Lee, Danny Granger, Danilo Gallinari and Derrick Rose being the biggest names that should have been in the postseason. More
After playing soft for most of the game and allowing the underdog opponent to dominate the offensive glass and create a late lead, the Oklahoma City Thunder grabbed a hold of themselves at just the right time, as Kevin Durant, aided by some big shots from Serge Ibaka and Thabo Sefolosha, managed to steer the ship in the right direction and get themselves a 2-0 lead. More
So Kevin Durant is sick of being second best. It doesn’t change the fact that he is just that at the moment. His team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, are inferior to the Miami Heat until proven otherwise, and he himself isn’t as good as LeBron James, and all of his motivation and obsession to become better than everyone else isn’t going to help. More
It’s nice to fantasize about how James Harden can be incredibly good for 6-7 games in one series and make a fight out of the clash between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets, but in reality, it’s not even close to being a fair fight, with Kevin Durant leading Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka to an explosive and dominant start to yet another chase after the NBA championship, running all over a team that doesn’t seem to belong in the same league. More