Kevin Durant is seeing more of the end-game
THUNDER: KEVIN DURANT IS STARTING TO MAKE BETTER PLAYS IN CRUNCH TIME
BY DARNELL MAYBERRY, Staff Writer, dmayberry@opubco.com
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Published: November 6, 2009
Kevin Durant walked out of the Ford Center on Tuesday night, hopped into the back of a car with his father and two brothers by his side and didn’t say a word as the foursome traveled north, from downtown Oklahoma City to his Edmond home. The Thunder’s agonizing 101-98 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers stung too much to speak, and Durant’s two airballs in the final seconds of regulation, and overtime became the inescapable conclusion to his miserable final 24 minutes.
Thunder star Kevin Durant is still learning how to finish games. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN
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"I just kept to myself,” Durant said. "People were text messaging me and I just left it alone and went right to sleep.”
It wasn’t until Thursday morning that Durant recuperated from the repulsive feeling of what he later realized was the toughest loss of his young career.
"I had the game in my hands twice — and I didn’t come through,” said a more talkative Durant on Thursday, after also being tightlipped to reporters following the game. "But people told me that great players have a short memory. So that’s what I have to learn how to do.”
Durant’s first opportunity to truly put Tuesday’s failures to rest comes tonight at the
Toyota Center, where the Thunder will meet
Houston at 7:30. Against the Rockets, Durant desperately wants to bounce back from his scoreless, 0-for-5 shooting performance in the fourth quarter and overtime. More than anything, he wants to snap the Thunder’s two-game losing streak and get back on the right side of .500.
But after Tuesday’s showing, a significant sidebar has become Durant’s ability to finish games. It’s a story line that played out throughout last season and one Durant wasn’t supposed to be addressing just four games into 2009-10. The difference, though, between then and now is Durant isn’t as caught up with simply hitting the game-winner. He’s come back determined to make the right play when the game is on the line.
"There is a big difference,” Thunder coach
Scott Brooks said. "That’s one of the things that it takes time to develop. You can’t expect a young player who is a terrific offensive player to make great plays every time down the court, because they’re going to go to their natural instincts. And Kevin is naturally gifted as a scorer. But when we’re playing good basketball we’re using his ability to attract that extra defender so he can make plays on the weak side and for our other shooters.”
Durant did that against the Lakers. But it was easily overlooked after his air-balled 28-footer from the top of the key at the end of regulation and his air-balled 17-footer from the right wing in overtime.
What went unnoticed was how Durant read and reacted to the Lakers’ defense collapsing on him following an inbounds pass in the final seconds of overtime and found a wide open
Thabo Sefolosha in the corner. Sefolosha missed the shot that would have tied the score at 101. Sefolosha converted earlier on a similar play when Durant got it to him with 2:33 remaining in regulation to bring the Thunder within 88-86.
Still, those two decisions were too infrequent for a player of Durant’s caliber. Sandwiched between his one assists were three turnovers.
Although Durant wouldn’t use it as an excuse Thursday, his fourth-quarter blunders can partly be attributed to fatigue, which he did admit set in. Lakers forward
Ron Artest pestered Durant defensively all night, and, unlike years past, Durant was trying to be equally disruptive on defense. It led to near exhaustion by the final buzzer.
"It’s new to me,” Durant said. "The last two years I wasn’t playing as hard on the defensive end and was getting used to the concepts. But I’m trying. It takes a little time. ”
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That's why he'll bolt when contracts time is up.
If his agent isn't telling him the same thing, he ought to be fired for dereliction of duty........
Meanwhile, idiots, keep snapping up those $270 seats!
El Prez, Deer Creek
It's not Durant's fault that Brooks is under pressure to try and win every game at all costs (so long as the costs aren't in dollars), instead of targeting his scarce (player) resources on (likely) winnable games.
Green was the real superstar of the Lakers game (and Sefelosha - sp?). Without Green, the Thunder lose by a big margin in regulation. Green scored when nobody else seemed able to, rebounded, hustled, blocked shots, just awesome play. Green is solid game after game without having a really bad night. He is really undervalued.
I'm not knocking Durant, I really like him, but I think he's been built up too much.
El Prez, Deer Creek