One of the NBA's youngest players has already blossomed into one of the league's best. His name? Kevin Durant. Prior to the start of the NBA Playoffs, both Kevin Durant and LeBron James were neck and neck in the running for the NBA scoring tittle. But with a healthy playoff run more important than a personal achievement, the Cavs decided to sit their ring leader - James for the team's final 4 games. And with the help of LeBron sitting sidelined, Durant became the youngest player in NBA history to win the scoring tittle. With LeBron's decision to sit on the bench for the team's final handful of games, without an injury has caused controversy. With NBA commissioner David Stern well aware of James' health and the good money fans in Cleveland are paying to see their star player, Stern says the issue of healthy players sitting at the end of the regular season will be discussed.
Regardless of his decision, no one could be more happy about LeBron sitting out than Durant himself who was given a few extra games to extend his stat sheet and make NBA history. Although James didn't take the chance of jeopardizing his team's playoff run, he might have jeopardized his chances of winning back-to-back MVP awards. Many sports writers with votes have made it clear that they wouldn't vote for a guy who's sitting on the bench healthy, opposed to a guy who's still busting his ass. Besides, both players are heading to the playoffs and mean an equal amount to their team's hopes. And if Durant's 30.1 points per game don't win him the coveted MVP award, his contribution for helping the Oklahoma City Thunder complete the sixth biggest turnaround in NBA history with a 27-game improvement from last season should do the trick.
Prior to game 1 of Durant's Thunder visiting the number one seeded Los Angeles Lakers in Hollywood, the young star played victim in a battle of words with Lakers head coach Phil Jackson. In a ploy to get to the head of the young Durantula, Jackson commented that the refs were letting Durant camp out at the foul line and were already treating him like a superstar. Jackson was later fined $35,000 for his comments, but not before Durant fired back by saying Jackson disrespected him. Despite his costly outburst, the Zen Master accomplished exactly what he had planned, by getting to the head of KD and causing him to reply with some words of his own. If his comments affected Durant in the playoffs, all would've been accomplished by the mastermind of Jackson. And after the first two games in L.A. going to the Lakers, it looks like something is bothering him.
Ironically, this all comes weeks after Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett expressed his opinion on Durant. "I thought we was playing Michael fuckin Jordan tonight the way he was getting the whistle. He damn near shot more free-throws than our whole team." Those comments came after a home loss in Boston that saw Durant finish 15-for-15 at the line, in route of scoring 37 points. Coincidentally the player KG referred Durant to is a former player under Phil Jackson. So far this series, L.A.'s Ron Artest has been able to keep Durant to a minimum, including only 24 points in Durant's first career playoff game. With another new haircut, this time gold hair dye, Artest lets it be known that there's only one thing on his mind and that's winning it all. With the Thunder losing game 2 by a close score of 95-92, I see the Oklahoma City crowd being the deciding factor in game 3. Go Lakers!
For similar posts featuring Kevin Durant, check out one of my older blog's - Durant's Gone Streaking
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