It’s funny, after the fact of course, to wonder how Kevin Durant would respond to a poor showing in Game 6. Was there any doubt he would play well? The guy might never had been in this spot before, but he is one of the best scorers — one of the best players — in the NBA. You don’t get there by coming up short.
And no way was Durant coming up short again. You could see that in the first quarter. Even though he missed seven of nine shots, he was aggressive. He also took the ball to the basket, drew fouls and made all four of his free throws.
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The rout wasn’t on yet, but Durant’s big game was. In the second quarter he made all four of his field goals. In the third quarter, when Memphis closed to within five points, Durant responded with eight of his game-high 39 points and a blocked shot in a 13-2 run.
Game. Set. Match.
Now Durant has done what is sometimes difficult to do: reach expectations. Stars score a lot of points; superstars lead teams deep into the playoffs. With Durant as the centerpiece, the young Thunder have advanced to the Western Conference finals a year or so ahead of schedule.
The pace was accelerated after a strong series against the Los Angeles Lakers last season. But losing to Memphis would have been a setback. Durant and Russell Westbrook — who figured out Sunday that it was a good idea to pass to his teammate — made sure that didn’t happen.
Good for the NBA, too. Durant is an easy superstar to root for, just like Chicago’s Derrick Rose. They’re the antithesis of the stereotypical NBA star. With all the attention heaped on LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and the guesswork over Dwight Howard’s future that will start to get all-consuming, it’s nice to see quiet stars.
After Durant’s third-quarter sequence Sunday, Memphis called a timeout. As the long-suffering Oklahoma City fans (yes, sarcasm) stood and cheered, Durant simply walked to the bench. There were no look-at-me gestures. There didn’t need to be; everyone was already focused on him.
