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Kevin Durant is a great player. Kevin Durant is a unicorn. Kevin Durant is one of the all-time great scorers in NBA history.
All the above statements about Durant are true. KD is undoubtedly going to be a first-ballot hall-of-famer someday. He is an 11-time All-Star, four-time scoring champ, 2014 league MVP, two-time back-to-back Finals MVP (2017, 2018) and member of the 50-40-90 club (2012-13 season). He has made scoring look ridiculously easy ever since he first entered the league in 2008. Adjectives fall short in describing the real effect of watching Durant play, such is the extent of his virtuosity.
Over his 13-year NBA career, Kevin Durant has given fans a lot to cheer about. He has had one of the great NBA careers not just in the 21st century, but in all of NBA history. On the cusp of turning 33, though, Durant (birthday on Sep 29) is closer to the end of his basketball career than ever before. With all the highlights and memories that KD has given us, we look back at five great moments from his NBA career:
#5 Kevin Durant goes off for an efficient 43 points in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals
The most efficient game of Kevin Durant’s Finals appearances. In Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, Durant dropped 43 points on the Cavs, shooting a phenomenal 15-of-23 (65.2%) from the field. He was six-of-nine from downtown (66.7%). It is the third most efficient game in Durant’s playoff career when he has scored more than 40 points. Durant also had 13 boards and seven assists in the game.
The significance of this performance by Kevin Durant must also be seen in the context that Stephen Curry scored more points in each of the other 2018 Finals games. But with Curry struggling in Game 3 (only 11 points, 3-of-16 from the field), it meant that this was the game that won Durant his second successive Finals MVP.
#4 “You know who I am? Y’all know who I am?”
After Patrick Beverley limited Kevin Durant to just eight shot attempts (eight) while making him concede more turnovers (nine) in Game 2 of the Los Angeles Clippers versus Golden State Warriors 2019 Playoffs first-round matchup, Durant had this legendary remark to make to the media:
Incensed by the suggestion that Patrick Beverley could shut him down, Durant went onto drop 38, 33, 45 and a career-best 50 points against the Clippers in Games 3, 4, 5 and 6 to win the Golden State Warriors the series. Durant averaged 41.5 ppg on 57/40/95 splits over those four games to remind the world that he is and will always be “Kevin Durant”.
#3 Kevin Durant comes up with the dagger trey in Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals
In terms of pure numbers, Kevin Durant’s 31 points in Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals versus the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t really measure up to his otherwise high standards. But this performance needs to be seen in the context of those Finals. The Golden State Warriors were up 2-0 in that series, playing their first away game in Cleveland.
With 2:20 left to play in the game, the Warriors found themselves trailing 107-113. After Steph Curry made a layup, Durant made a 13-foot jumper to cut the game to a one-point deficit. Then, with Kyle Korver missing a long-range attempt, Durant gathered the rebound and jogged down the court with about forty-five seconds left to play. With LeBron James in front of him, Durant pulled up for a casual-looking three, which went in and gave Golden State a lead they never lost. Durant made a couple of free throws to follow and the Warriors eventually nicked the game 118-113.
This was the closest of the five-game 2017 Finals. Cleveland won Game 4 only for the Warriors to close out the series back home in Game 5. But had Durant not come up with his late-game heroics in Game 3 (he had seven of Golden State’s last 11 points), the Cavs may well have forced a Game 6 at the very least.
#2 Kevin Durant foot on the line in Game 7 vs Milwaukee Bucks
This is the most recent moment from Kevin Durant’s NBA career. The Brooklyn Nets, Durant’s latest NBA team, were playing the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semi-finals. With the score at 109-107 in favor of Milwaukee with six seconds left to play in the game, Brooklyn had possession of the basketball.
Jeff Green inbounded the ball to Durant, who after a couple of dribbles from beyond the three-point line on the right wing, spun and launched an incredible shot over PJ Tucker. The ball went in and the Brooklyn fans were ecstatic. Durant apparently hit a triple, giving his team a one-point lead with only one second left to play. It appeared that Milwaukee’s championship aspirations had ended prematurely for a third successive year thanks to KD’s brilliance.
However, upon review it was found that KD’s long feet were touching the three-point line when he launched the shot over Tucker. The basket was subsequently ruled to be a two-point shot, which meant the game went into over-time. And although Milwaukee went on to win the game, Durant put up 48 heroic points for his team on the night. KD summarized the effect of his long feet clipping the three-point line best when he said, “I thought it was a three, but my big-ass foot was on the line.”
#1 “You’re the real MVP”
This moment actually comes off the basketball court, but it remains a top highlight from Kevin Durant’s career. It is from back in 2014 when Durant won his one and only regular season MVP award. With Russell Westbrook missing a bunch of games, Durant put the Oklahoma City Thunder on his back. He averaged a league-best 32.0 ppg, shooting 50.3% from the field. He also averaged 7.4 rpg and 5.5 apg, earning the Thunder the second-best record in an ultra-competitive Western Conference.
On the night of the award, Durant made a heartfelt speech. Dressed impeccably in a blue suit and a white polka-dotted black tie, Durant thanked each one his teammates, including Russell Westbrook and Caron Butler. He spoke about where he came from, the hardships he faced as a child and the people who motivated him. He teared up repeatedly during his speech, leaving the audience also in tears.
Right at the end, Durant thanked his mother, Wanda Durant. He told the audience how she kept him off the streets, how she fed him and his brother even when there was no food to eat. He ended his speech on the following memorable note, “You made us believe, put clothes on our backs… You went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us. You’re the real MVP.”
Guess the Lakers players!
