With all the talk of LeBron James and the Miami Heat this season, it’s as though the Oklahoma City Thunder have flown somewhat under the radar. It might be because Oklahoma City is one of the smallest markets in the NBA, but at 37-10, the Thunder hold the league’s second best record (behind the Indiana Pacers) and the big reason for that is Kevin Durant.
This season, Durant has gone off and lately he’s been dropping buckets on any team that stands in his way. Ironically enough, his most recent performance was a 33-point night en route to embarrassing the NBA’s No. 1 star at home in South Beach – it was just the fourth time in 17 meetings that Oklahoma City defeated the Heat.
It was a little bit of sweet revenge from the 2012 Finals, when the Heat cruised to its first championship in five seasons. With his performance last night, Durant managed to keep his 30-point streak alive, one of the most impressive accomplishments this season.
Durant has scored 30 points in 12 straight games, the longest such streak since Tracy McGrady did it in 14 straight games during the 2002-03 season. During that stretch, the Thunder have won nine games.
He’s in the process of completing something Michael Jordan was never able to accomplish – not too many players can say that. In fact, the season he’s putting together looks very similar to Jordan’s playoff run in his fourth season, in which “His Airness” averaged 45.2 points a night and helped Chicago win its first-ever postseason series. Jordan was 25, the same age as Durant now.
But while Jordan had a rising supporting cast, Durant isn’t surrounded with the same supporting cast, especially as many of his teammates are battling injuries. That hasn’t stopped Durant, however, his shooting percentage has only increased – now shooting 51.0 percent from the field.
There’s little arguing that Durant has only been the hottest player in the NBA during the month of January. If he keeps this up, there’s going to quite the debate over Lebron or Durant for league MVP.
Ed Miller is a contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @PhillyEdMiller or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
