Kevin Durant MVP Candidate
Kevin Durant scored 36 points last night in a losing effort against the Phoenix Suns, snapping a 9-game winning streak for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was Durant’s 29th consecutive game in which he scored 25 points or more.
The only player owning a longer streak is none other than Michael Jordan, whose record of 40 consecutive games might be shattered this season. Durant currently leads the league in scoring over LeBron James by a fraction of a point (29.9 to 29.8), but there is more to his case for league MVP than just that.
Durant's game is light years ahead of schedule. (Credit: picapp.com)
Kevin Durant’s Thunder are far ahead of schedule this year. Last season I read tons of articles and watched countless NBA analysts discuss how bright OKC’s future would be a few years from now. That was last year. This year OKC has jumped a few years beyond expert projections, and it is solely because of Durant.
Sure, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green are vital components of this turnaround, but how could you argue that these guys would be nearly as successful without Durant?
The amount of attention Durant commands from opponents is LeBron-like, and allows Green and Westbrook to flourish. He is undoubtedly the Thunder’s MVP.
With OKC currently ranking 6th in the playoff standings with a record of 33-22 a strong argument can be made favoring Durant for serious MVP candidacy. Seriously, lets look at the one fact that justifies Durant as MVP more so than anyone else in the league, shall we?
The this-season-to-last-season-turnaround factor.
With basically the same roster as last season, the Thunder have transformed a 2008-09 losing record of 23-59 into the current record of 33-22. Nothing spells out M-V-P like a dramatic transformation of losing into winning.
With 27 games remaining OKC ranks 6th in the playoff hunt, their 21-year-old small forward is leading the league in scoring, and they are coming off a 9-game wining streak. OKC are gaining ridiculous momentum heading into the final stretch of the season. Durant is leading his team when it matters most: closing out.
Additionally, Durant and company have been consistently as good on the road as they are at home. Surely you would expect OKC to play better at home, but playing .600 ball regardless of location signifies they will not roll over on the road, which is rare for a young team like OKC.
Not only is Durant flirting with shattering Michael Jordan’s consecutive 25-point-game scoring streak record, be he is doing so without being detrimental to the team winning. He is scoring a ton while keeping teammates involved. That says it all.
The bottom line is whoever sees OKC in the first round of the playoffs might have more than they can handle while facing off against the league’s MVP.
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Wed, Feb 24, 2010 by Adam Sedie
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