OAKLAND — He despises the nickname Slim Reaper, but that’s exactly the figure Kevin Durant has been in the dying eyes of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Through two games of the NBA Finals, he’s ripping out Cleveland’s heart. Funeral arrangements could come as soon as Game 4 Friday at Quicken Loans Arena.
In the most anticipated championship re-match, possibly ever, it’s Durant — not LeBron James — who has been the best basketball player on the court. KD followed up the best performance of his career with 33 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks and 3 steals in a 132-113 Game 2 throttling. Each play was demoralizing for Cleveland than the last.
Reality is setting in for the Cavaliers, who know they don’t have an answer for KD. His 71 points through two games are already more than Harrison Barnes had in seven Finals games a year ago. The 5 blocks tied a postseason career-high. A perturbed LeBron wanted no part of participating in an interview at the podium — or offering a critique of Durant’s dominance.
“They’re a different team,” LeBron said from the locker room. “You guys asked me ‘what was the difference?” And I told you. They’re a different team.”
Heading into Game 2, the story should’ve been about Steve Kerr’s stunning return on Sunday. Or it could’ve been about Steph Curry — who Draymond Green says is as locked in as he’s ever been. Curry recorded his first-ever postseason triple-double (30 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) and took LeBron to church on a slithery third quarter drive.
Nope. There is no narrative that’s impacting the lopsided final scores more than the versatility of Durant. He’s been virtually unstoppable. And it’s not just his dunking, sharpshooting and soaring drives to the basket.
“I thought that Kev’s defense was unreal, and it was probably the key to the whole game,” Kerr said after the team’s NBA record 14th straight postseason win.
The examples are littered throughout the game, but none more apparent than a sequence in the fourth quarter. Kevin Love attempted to back down Durant on the block, digging his shoulder in, trying to gain position. As Love went to fire up a mid-range leaner, Durant swatted the shot to Timbuktu. He corralled the basketball, dribbled the length of the court on LeBron and sank an impossible fadeaway just outside the paint. The Warriors were already an elite defensive team a year ago. Now they have the luxury of sliding Durant in at center when Draymond Green finds himself in foul trouble.
While LeBron had quite the night himself (29 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds), it was evident he was running out of gas by the fourth quarter. Has chasing around Durant impacted him more than he or Lue could’ve expected? The numbers don’t lie. LeBron’s combined stats in two fourth quarters of the NBA Finals: 2-for-5, 4 points. It’s fair to point out the Cavaliers trailed by double-digits in both games heading into the final frame — but this is a team who rallied from 14 down against the Warriors on Christmas Day. A super fourth quarter from LeBron generally is enough to mount a comeback. But he hasn’t been capable.
“They give (Durant) a lot of space and a lot of room to operate,” an exasperated Tyronn Lue told reporters after the 19-point loss. “He have Klay and Steph on the back side, and he has the ball in his hands, and the way Draymond’s been shooting the basketball. So he plays well off those guys, and they play well off of him also. A lot of things you can’t do defensively by having K.D. on the floor. So they make it tough and they put you in some tough situations.”
Is there anyone out there still struggling to grasp why Durant chose to come to the Warriors? He’s never had open shots like this, he’s never played in a free-flowing system that would shine a light on how unbelievable his ball-handling is for his size. He’s never been this comfortable in his own skin, and it’s showing.
“We know how hard it is to be the best team in the league,” Durant said. “So we got to just keep going, man, keep our foot on the gas and keep getting better every day.”
Barring a drastic turnaround in Ohio, conversations are going to shift toward the future. Golden State’s team is clearly more stacked than Cleveland’s. But there’s little questioning who the best player on the court has been — so much so, that LeBron is going to have to reconsider the Cavs’ entire roster. Adding his buddies Dwyane Wade or Carmelo Anthony certainly won’t be enough. Cleveland needs more defenders, or more ideally for them, a Durant injury. Can LeBron honestly be considered the greatest of all-time if Durant outshines him in an NBA Finals? It’s worth debating.
KD is halfway home to his first championship and Cleveland’s blood is all over his hands.