Way back late last October, as the 2009-2010 NBA season began, I went out on a limb and published my pre-season list of players that I thought would vie for the MVP trophy. I actually did fairly well with my predictions, except for putting Chris Paul at number two (to be fair, his pre-injury stats were mind-blowing). It was made up mostly of the usual suspects: Kobe, D-Wade, Lebron: but I took one huge chance and included a third-year player who plays for a new franchise that only won 23 games in its inaugural season: Kevin Durant. Now, in a “Best Player” contest that wouldn’t be much of a gamble. Durant is one of the most talented individuals in the NBA. He has the skills of a talented shooting guard with a height, 6-foot-10-inches, of a power forward, and he averaged 25 points per game last season. However, MVP voters value wins over huge scoring numbers, and Durantuala’s young teammates were still a little green. Russell Westbrook was putting up more ill-fated jumpers than poster dunks, Jeff Green was still adjusting to the physicality of the pro game, and the roster had yet to be filled out with supportive bench players.
Cut to the present: Durant: 21: has become the youngest scoring champion in the 64-year history of the NBA, averaging 30.1 ppg to beat out LeBron James’ average of 29.7. As Durant has risen, so have the rest of the Thunder players. Oklahoma City won 50 games this year, 27 more than last year, marking one of the largest turnarounds in league history. The team had drafted well with its high pick in the 2009 draft, selecting former Arizona State shooting guard James Harden (he has the game of an old man, in a good way) with the number-three pick. The bench has also been reinforced by the emergence of Congo native Serge Ibaka, a raw hustle player who uses his unbelievable athleticism to disrupt with defense (he leads the team in blocks despite a piddly 18 minutes per game). The Thunder have become a young, gritty team thanks to the stellar play and leadership of their string bean like captain with the effortless jump-shot who consistently throws in one third of his teams points by himself. However, despite a year of overachieving and 50 wins his Thunder barely squeaked into the playoffs : earning the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference: allowing them the privilege of playing the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
The series started rough for the Thunder as they dropped the first two games at the Staples Center. However, the proverbial weather changed and the Thunder rolled as the series shifted to Oklahoma City for games three and four. Durant turned in an MVP-worthy performance in the Thunder’s 101-96 game-three victory shutting down future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant in the fourth quarter and icing the game with four clutch free-throws in the last minute. The Thunder capitalized on the momentum they gained from the franchises’ first playoff victory in game four, demolishing the Lakers 110-89 to even the series 2-2 and giving OKC fans a, perhaps delusional, belief that Durantula and Co. could pull a 2007 Golden State Warriors and become the second-ever eight seed to dispatch of the regular season Conference champs in the first round.
The Thunder and their fan’s astronomical hopes were brought back down to earth Tuesday night as the Lakers reminded the playoff neophytes that they are the defending NBA Champions with a 111-87 thrashing. The Lake Show’s latest dominate performance suggests the Thunder’s back-to-back wins in games three and four merely angered the defending champs. The Thunder now find themselves needing to win back-to-back games again just to keep their season alive, something that is unlikely as the Thunder are yet to win a road playoff game. It appears the wiley vet, Kobe Bryant, will get the best of Durantula and the Thunder this time around, but the young Thunder’s gritty performance against the defending champs has definitely shown the rest of league they will be a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference for years to come. Fear the Spider.
