May 20, 2013
After the Thunder’s disappointing second series loss against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team’s superstar Kevin Durant said ‘I don’t have to be Kobe Bryant’. The statement was an allusion to Bryant’s 2011 comments when he suggested that a disappointing season had been a wasted year in his life.
Durant was trying to state that playing basketball and being a professional means something to him. He was trying to make a valuable point about the privilege that NBA players enjoy.
That statement was also just a little bit too poignant after the series against Memphis. Oklahoma City entered the playoffs as the big favorites to advance through the Western conference. An injury to star point guard Russell Westbrook put their chances in danger. However, many still picked the Thunder because of Durant’s presence and the chance that the 24-year old would have to be ‘the man’ with Westbrook out.
After winning Game 1, Oklahoma City lost four straight games getting unceremoniously dumped by a Grizzlies’ team featuring some extremely tough, physical players led by Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.
The problem for Oklahoma City was Durant. The Thunder entered all four fourth quarters of their losses with chances to win the game, but Durant struggled. He arguably looked fatigued while being asked to take on huge responsibility in Westbrook’s absence. However, the reality is that the man, who is arguably the best scorer in the league, came up small for his team when it really counted. Durant had the ability to get his team past Memphis and he didn’t manage it.
Bryant’s comments in 2011 may have been somewhat ridiculous, but they spoke to the character of a champion. Kobe had five championship titles under his belt at that point, but he is a player who will stop at nothing as he tries to win. He doesn’t accept failure or defeat and takes responsibility for guaranteeing victories.
Durant hasn’t shied away from blame. He is still young and this was possibly the first real setback of his career so far. However, there is an argument that he sometimes lacks the killer edge. NBA championships are almost always invariably won by superstar led teams. Being a superstar involves taking control and dominating on the big occasion.
Durant wasn’t able to take control or dominate in the series against Memphis and that was ultimately a problem for a Thunder team that had nowhere else to turn.
Durant averaged more than 50% from the field, more than 40% from three-point range and more than 90% from the free throw line during the regular season. He was nothing less than an absolutely dominating offensive presence. However, he managed just 46.1% from the field, 33.9% from beyond the arc and just 81.1% from the line in the playoffs without Westbrook. In two games he missed critical late free throws in a remarkably uncharacteristic display.
Nothing can explain it other than the fact that Durant wasn’t ready to become a champion. He has a long time left to play in the NBA and as much talent as any player in this league. It might not be too long before he understands the meaning beyond the hyperbole in Kobe’s words.
