Points West.
Ok…we’ve got a problem! Or more like Kevin Durant’s got one. A big one! Kevin Durant is on something. He’s going off! He has a fever or something because he can’t stop. It’s more like a problem for the rest of the league however. For almost 40 NBA days and nights the Slim Reaper can’t stop his killing. For 39 straight games he’s set a new scoring pace and modern day record by scoring 25 or more and like Kyle Korver going downtown for years he doesn’t look like he’ll be stopping anytime soon either. The solution? Nothing is…just the scoring pouring and pouring like the weather his team name evokes. Someone should tell the Oklahoma City star that the forecast in his city wasn’t really for ‘Thunder’, even if his latest reign looks to even topple King James Miami port making home in the Finals. Talents may be sunning themselves in golden shine on South Beach, but even Larry O’Brien knows it doesn’t get much hotter than this. In this NBA game of thrones, LeBron may be the ruler but Kevin’s looking to gladly take the head of the king like every reader and viewer who knows the name George R. R. Martin. Someone should tell this showering rain storm of points that Durant doesn’t play in the rainy city of Seattle anymore, because this kids going Supersonic. The number 5 may have all hands on deck but he’s acting like explosive, energetic player Russell Westbrook is still crazily fashioned to the sidelines. A cut above the rest he’s playing like the terrific tandem of Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb haven’t finally made up for the cutting loss of James Harden’s beard. He’s scoring like regulars and newcomers like Serge Ibaka, Nick Collinson and Caron Butler alike aren’t contributing like they are. He’s clutching more bigger and historical baskets than his playoff, last second legendary teammate Derek Fisher, who arguably won just as many championships for the Lakers then Robert Horry, Shaquille O’Neal and even Kobe Bryant.
The Black Mamba, Bean Bryant, Kobe sadly for the league and one of its most storied franchises may be out injured for possibly the last chapter of his career. Still, eevn if this guy could push his achillies back in and play and turn the hands of father time back and get a healthy Steve Nash and happier Dwight Howard back too, he knows the West and even the rest belong to Kevin now. We really need to talk about this guy. Here’s a guy who is more than just the second best player on the league, with the second greatest of all-time about to hang up the sneakers in a season or none. Kevin’s tired of being number two…he’s no Will Riker. He’s the next generation of star players treking their way through this Basketball universe. The Basketball Gods know he’s tired of being in second position, he wants pole in this race and he’ll outscore everybody until his point is proven in more ways than one or just another statistical, box-score category. He’s acting like he wants to outscore all-time leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in just one sole season with his hook to the sky, but special K can dust off the goggles and know it’s just about one thing for him, his team and his city. It’s all about the legend of Larry and that’s why this wingman will whip it like Bird for a chance for his team to fly the banners to the rafters like the Celtics and give this fresh franchise it’s first face-lift. A scoring surgery clinic that offers two each morning to help ease the hurt and hatred that came from leaving Seattle for the big cheers like Kelsey Grammer going backwards. Let this guy step-back behind the line and he’ll swiftly swish you from three. Let him take it inside and those spindly, skinny arms will wind the clock on a time-stopping, slow-mo, instant highlight night replay that will force the ball through the hole like the hammer of thor for a real Thunder strike and bolt to the crowd. All these puncuated plays lead to points, as do all the basic buckets and charity stripe hand-outs defenders and referees just seem so eager and intent on giving up to one of the greatest.
You have to give it up for the one man built like a cross-country sprinter that looks at the NFL build and dominance of the great LeBron and is ready to turn this scoring sprint into a mind-over-matter marathon. LeBron may be built for the touchdown, but Durant wants the gold medal and to the cross the line first with flowers and the flag. It may just have to come down to the wire of a photo finish for these two Olympians. It’ll all make for the perfect NBA Finals to take all those eyes off the dominating Summer of blockbuster movies and hit T.V. shows. It’ll give every household another reason to stay inside when the Thunder reigns in the face of South Beach heat. This is the NBA Finals the wallets of the Stern’s and the poetic purists of the Basketball God’s wanted from Kobe and LeBron when Bryant was drowning in championship champagne while LeBron was sipping on Cleveland wine. The NBA’s Ali/Frazier may have not happened, but this is about to be a real thriller in Manila…or Miami if LeBron can keep it homecourt in his house. LeBron James is still the man until Kevin outgrows him. People (including this writer) may be talking about Indiana this year and their perfect starting line, but even the Indy 5.00 can’t keep up with this number 5 as Durant runs NASCAR circles around the opposition on his drive for a ring. LeBron may have the Wade and Bosh three at his dynamic disposal, along with the big-threes of Ray Allen and one man who could possibly stop, or at least hound OKC’s man in Shane Battier, but there’s more. This Oklahoma team are even better and lethal weapon loaded since the days they used to annoy the Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Bynum and World Peace legacy making Lakers like Joe Pesci did Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. Kevin annd his Thunder buddies are about to stick a middle finger up to the reign like Ted. When it comes to the leagues best and youngest star soon even receeding talents will be complaining that they’re too old for this s***.
It may be a long time before all that but there is a long lay-up line in Oklahoma ready to make this performance piece a success on Basketball Broadway right now. All the players are in perfect place. Like the West best Westbrook who is more than a sidekick or the surge of Serge. Or how about the fresh Lamb shanks and Reggie Jackson for all these hand on deck who are no scrubs. Add Kobe’s former boys-who have been around greatness too-and Caron Butler will handle the dirty work on defence while Derek will fish out more clutch shots to save this young team and add more classic moments to his ‘where amazing happens’ legacy as the veteran force in the final seconds this team needs. Still it all starts and ends with Kevin. This why the crowded Laker…excuse me Clippers roster in Los Angeles doesn’t even have a team staple like this. The old testament and legendary tradition of Tim Duncan and his San Antonio Spurs may have set the tone with their own 19 game win-streak, but their run isn’t like Kevin’s and even the robot Duncan knows that even though he’s playing like the robot he is, Durant is playing like a Terminator. Speaking of which that incredible win streak of the Spurs was ended by a click of Durant’s scoring hand as his kept going. Is this man or machine? Spinning the shot-gun round like Arnie in that inconic scene and spraying scoring shells everywhere, just look at the amount of green circles to red crosse on the postgame scoring chart. If John Madden’s game was roundball even he’d have trouble keeping up. ‘You’ve got points here, teams dying here, a legend making his way down there and BOOM! You got a championship’! Now that’s a ball game and it’s more than a trend or a tag that this Durantula is spreading in his web. The amazing Spider-Man is about to take over the Summer like Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker with Jamie Foxx electricity shutting out all the lights. You want to know how powerful he is…he’s about to show you. He’s a force of nature like lightening and he’s about to make everyone else Harry Osborne green with envy. Even the history of the Celtics are Bird-watching the licks from this next legend of Larry.
There’s a storm coming and it’s about to hit Miami. Still, ‘Bron needent woory because like rain in Miami it’ll be a quick and easy shower and it’ll all be over soon. Kevin Durant is no longer just ‘the next one’…he’s right now and in this head to head battle he’s ready to face off with Travolta like he was Nic Cage with the rock. The pulp press facts these stories will bring will be stronger than fiction as K.D. versus the king will ink a legacy in this league that will see a legend engrave himself in some serious hall ready hardware. Durant’s concrete play wants to chip away at the NBA’s Mount Rushmore and cast his own statue worthy iconic stance in the city he built from the ruins of the last one he inherited off the glove hand-out from Gary Payton. Even talk here is cheap related to what Kevin can actually do on the floor and more than words he’s showing you how much his game is doing the talking as he treats the basket like a trash one. It’s more than the numbers that prove it, its the heart of a great whose showing he’s the soul of basketball as his team and town follow the route of the one he dribbles to the cup he one day hopes to fill with champagne. His eyes have been burning with hurt for two, too may years, it’s time they cried something a little bubblier. If you want to talk about greatness, champions and legenday legacies than we may have to rewrite this article along with the history books come the weekend. You, see come the weekend Houston and Harden have a problem. Come the weekend Kevin Durant could tie the greatest of all-time Michael Jordan with 40 straight games of 25 or more. It may be too easy to say or speak on but you know this guy could do it and who knows even best the best a game later. Still we don’t want to jinx it like putting this guy on the cover of SLAM, but right now would you want to bet against the bible of Basketball and its latest chapter and verse breaking his way through the holy trinity of Kobe, LeBron and himself to show his own light as the chosen one? It’s about to get real spiritual in this sport and all the God Mike will be able to do is shrug. It’s all looking too easy from the hardest working player, but trust me this powerful prodigy and three-time scoring champ is more than the record books or broadsheets. The rafters will once bear his name like the banners his championships raise. Down the hall of this fame worthy career, this run will just be another amazing and formidable footnote in the book of basketball records that read the talk of the town Kevin…the definition.
