With his sensational performance to close out the Denver Nuggets, Kevin Durant evoked memories of a young Michael Jordan in game 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1989 NBA Playoffs. He simply would not be denied. While Durant didn’t hit The Shot, he did hit many shots, several of which made you shake your head and wonder if there’s anyone in the league that can stop this kid.
As for the Denver Nuggets, you can’t play a better road playoff game. The Nuggets fought tooth and nail for 48 minutes and they played well enough to win except for the heroics of Kevin Durant.
Russell Westbrook finally got the memo that Kevin Durant is Batman and he’s Robin on the team and the result was a special evening for Durant and the Thunder. Durant scored 41 points, but it was more than just a 41 point game. It was a statement game that should serve notice to the entire NBA that Kevin Durant is no longer the next one, he is the one.
Durant made plays for teammates to score, he played unbelievable defence and he made shots that only Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan could make and could take…And he made it look easy.
The beauty about Kevin Durant is that at his height and with his athletic ability there isn’t a bad shot on the floor for him to take. He can get whatever shot he wants and he can make anything inside of half. Perhaps what was most impressive about last night was how he was able to make his teammates better both with his willingness to pass the ball and play aggressive team defense.
Note: Can’t talk about defense without mentioning that Serge Ibaka registered nine blocks and was also instrumental in the win.
The Thunder are looking like the most dangerous team in the playoffs right now and Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer for the past two years, is looking like the best player in the NBA.
