"Good." (in Dave Chapelle's Prince voice)
While Lebron James virtually has the MVP on lock (3 consecutive Player of the Month awards this season), his lead in the scoring race is much more perilous. At only 21 years old, Kevin Durant is one-tenth of a point behind Lebron (Lebron’s 29.8 to Durant’s 29.7), having played 2 less games. Not only is Durant scoring 30-odd points a night, he manages to do so within the flow of the game. His game has matured, no longer is Durant forcing 3′s or contested jumpers, the shots he takes are relatively high percentage ones (for him at least). Not only has Durant matured, but so have the young nucleus of the Thunder. Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, and James Harden provide the Thunder with arguably the most-exciting young nucleus in the league. The Thunder’s and Durant’s maturity has resulted in a few things; if the playoffs started today, they would be 6th in the ultra-competitive West. Durant’s play, coupled with their record has resulted in Durant being named as an all-star for the first time. Finally, KD35 has legitimate shot at a scoring title. It would seem the only thing Kevin Durant is missing, is a nickname. KD, KD35, and ‘the Durantula” all have been tried and none have really stuck.
One of real reasons I believe Durant will win the scoring title is because Lebron will be rested down the stretch of the season. However, knowing Lebron’s hyper-competitive nature, do you think he would take his foot off the accelerator if he were still neck and neck with Durant, on the last day of the season? Could we be in for a final day scoring title showdown a la Thompson and Gervin? Recall that in 1978, David Thompson and George “the Iceman” Gervin, were within a few tenths of a point of each other. In an afternoon game, David Thompson scored an astounding 73 points, putting the pressure on the Iceman. It was calculated that Ice would need 59 points to win the title. Well, in the soiree, Ice did that and them some, managing 63 points, to claim the scoring title.
For all of you wondering if this showdown is actually a possibility, I’m here to say: yes it is – sort of. On April 14th, the final day of the regualr, the Cavaliers take on the Atlanta Hawks in ATL, and the OKC Thunder host the Memphis Grizzlies. However, both games start at 8PM EST, not allowing the back and forth of Gervin and Thompson.
All I know is I’ll be tuning in April 14!
