When the 2021-2022 season started commentators had Kevin Durant rated as the MVP front runner, and even Giannis Antetokounmpo proclaimed him "the best player on the planet". Granted, KD is a perinniel All-star and a future first ballot Hall of Famer, but so are several players currently in the league. Fortunately, proof of superiority is always determined on the basketball court, not in chat rooms. Opinions simply carry no weight.
During the first round of the playoffs the Boston Celtics applied "Stop Steph Curry Defense" on Kevin Durant, and he looked VERY ORDINARY as a result. For the record, "Stop Steph Curry Defense" is an aggressive man to man with a second defender set to double team as soon as the "target" passes half court. Kevin Durant scored his points, but he had to take a lot of shots with two Boston Celtic defenders contesting him when taking them.
In addition, Durant had his shot blocked multiple times, missed often, and turned the ball over far too many times. For example, Kevin Durant shot 4/12 from the field, but still scored 27 points. Thank GOD for FREE throws and the love "stars players" get from referees. Everyone knows that a journey man veteran would NOT have gone to the line as many times as Durant if similar "fouls" happened to him.
Think about this for a moment. Kevin Durant won two NBA Finals MVP awards with similar stats as Steph Curry but there was one big difference. Two players had been guarding Steph Curry while KD would be wide open or with single coverage the entire playoffs. For several years now Steph Curry has been getting double teamed relentlessly as soon as he passes half court, and NBA fans have become desensitized to how incredibly difficult the defensive pressure is that Steph Curry "cooks" on a nightly basis because he makes it look easy.
I bet KD misses those wide open shots and single coverage. The Boston Celtics put "Steph Curry Defense" on KD, pulled out the only "broom" of the playoffs, and swept the Brooklyn Nets out of the playoffs in the first round. Also, everyone saw Durant's game diminish, and he has not been the same since. In fact, during this off season Durant requested a trade. He may be dreaming of better times, and want back in at Golden State. They won it all this season, so they do not need him or his gigantic contract. After several weeks no teams have pulled the trigger and made a deal. Apparently, they now realize that Durant is not built to do the "heavy lifting", or to be "Batman".
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