Kevin Durant | Larry Brown Sports

Kevin Durant Is Not Happy to See Dirk Nowitzki Succeed at His Expense

May 25, 2011 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Throughout the NBA playoffs, we’ve seen a few constants: Dirk Nowitzki putting up points, the Thunder blowing leads, and reporters asking stupid questions at press conferences. One of those dumb questions came after Oklahoma City was eliminated from the playoffs Wednesday night. A reporter asked Kevin Durant, the franchise player for the Thunder, how he felt about seeing Dirk succeed at his expense. KD gave about as good of a response to the bad question as he possibly could have.

“I’m not happy at all. I’m a competitor,” Durant explained. “I really didn’t care about what he went through the last three or four years. I know it’s been tough for him, I’m sure he’s happy now he’s going back to the Finals, but I’m not happy for him at all because I wanted to be there. But [sometimes] it happens like that.”

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Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, NBA Playoffs 2011

Thunder Veteran: Russell Westbrook Thinks He’s Better than Kevin Durant

May 23, 2011 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Oklahoma City is in the Western Conference Finals and one of only four teams left in the NBA playoffs. Because of their success in the postseason they’ve received a great deal of media attention, and most of it has been focused on the perceived selfish play of Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has been criticized for taking too many shots, taking low-percentage shots, and not deferring to superstar Kevin Durant frequently enough.

Durant has defended Westbrook repeatedly throughout the postseason, as has coach Scott Brooks. They both have said this is the way Westbrook has played all season and it’s led to success. But an issue developed following Game 2 when Brooks left Westbrook on the bench the entire fourth quarter in Dallas while Eric Maynor led the team to victory. Though Westbrook said after the game he was fine being on the bench since they won, he seemed to be bothered by it. Westbrook could be seen yelling at his coach from the sideline immediately after getting pulled.

One Thunder veteran reportedly told the NY Daily News via Ben Maller that Westbrook “thinks he’s better than Kevin Durant,” and that’s part of the reason he’d be upset to be out of the game.

Oklahoma City is a young team, so it’s pretty easy to narrow down the list of players who could have said that. Only Royal Ivey, Nick Collison, Kendrick Perkins, and Nazr Mohammed have more than five years of NBA experience amongst Thunder players. My money is on Perkins just because he’s a new guy who isn’t as attached to the situation, though I could be wrong. That really is immaterial; what matters is if it’s true.

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Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chances Plagued By Youth, Immaturity

May 22, 2011 By Nabeel Ahmadieh 1 Comment

It is the Oklahoma City Thunder’s youth that continues to plague them in the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks — not their talents. After falling in Game 3 at home 93-87 and going down 2-1 in the series, the Thunder now face a treacherous challenge to overcome the hot Mavericks and their late-game closer Dirk Nowitzki.

The Thunder arguably have the best roster remaining in the postseason based on skill level and talent. They feature two All-NBA talents in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, one of the best post defenders in Kendrick Perkins and a great cast on the bench. Unlike the three superstars in Miami, this is a complete team. Yet, thanks to their immaturity and youth, they’ve failed to figure things out late in games to come out on top.

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Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Kevin Durant, NBA Playoffs 2011, Oklahoma City Thunder

Three Adjustments Thunder Need to Make to Beat Mavericks in Game 2

May 19, 2011 By Patrick Crawley 1 Comment

Led by an all-time great playoff performance from Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks slaughtered the Thunder 121-112 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals Tuesday.

Dirk dropped 48 points on 12-of-15 shooting and broke an NBA playoff record for made free throws in a game without a miss by going 22-of-22 from the line.

Kevin Durant tried his best to retaliate, scoring 40 points, but his teammates weren’t up to the task. The Thunder’s performance wasn’t as respectable as the single-digit final deficit suggests; they were outplayed in every aspect of the game.

Any time your opponent shoots 53% from the field and outscores your bench 53-22, you’re in major trouble.

So what does OKC have to do to bounce back and even the series 1-1?

Here are three key adjustments the Thunder can make to win Game 2:

Nike Marketing Kevin Durant Backpack Along with Clothing Line

May 19, 2011 By Nabeel Ahmadieh Leave a Comment

During Oklahoma City Thunder post-game press conferences, two things go hand-in-hand: Kevin Durant and his backpack. For whatever reason, the 21-year-old superstar does all his post game blabber wearing his backpack completely strapped up and ready to go. Like any smart company would do, Nike is capitalizing on the fashion statement by selling the carrying book bag as part of Durant’s KD III line.

It has almost become symbolic for Durant to rock the backpack during his sessions with the media. However, some fans may be disappointed with what’s actually in it. According to Durant, “iPad, headphones, bible and phone chargers,” is all he carries.

Nike is has wisely decided to capitalize off this entertaining fad. Durant, unlike LeBron, is one of the most loved players in the NBA. When young basketball players go to purchase his shoes, they’ll almost certainly feel obligated to buy the matching backpack.

While Nike looks to profit off Durant’s choice in style, Durant himself has other things to worry about. One huge one will be slowing down the Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki’s quest to enhance his legacy. After the Game 1 loss, Durant will need his teammate Russell Westbrook (3-15 shooting in Game 1) — not his backpack – to have any chance of bouncing back.

When you look at the way Durant used to be, this revelation is actually surprising.

Filed Under: Basketball, Swag Tagged With: Kevin Durant, Nike

Kevin Durant and Greivis Vasquez were High School Buddies at Montrose Christian

May 9, 2011 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Kevin Durant and Greivis Vasquez are squaring off against each other in the NBA playoffs, but they’re actually used to playing on the same side. TNT shared a story about Vasquez and Durant during Game 4 of the Grizzlies-Thunder playoff series, giving some background on how close the two are. Folks from the Maryland-area probably already knew that Grizzlies backup guard Greivis Vasquez and Thunder star Kevin Durant were high school teammates, but for most people it was a surprise to learn they played together in high school.

In fact, Marty Smith of TNT reported that “Vasquez and Durant were best friends in high school.” He added that Durant was one of the guys who taught Vasquez how to speak English while the two were teammates at Montrose Christian. Vasquez is from Venezuela and did not come to the U.S. until 2004 when he arrived to play basketball and attend high school. Another aspect of their relationship Snyder shared is that the two would arrive at school at 6:30 in the morning and shoot around until school started. He also said that Durant took the train to school at 4:30 in the morning.

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Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Greivis Vasquez, Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant’s Backcourt Violation Idiotically Overturned by Refs, Rules Show

April 27, 2011 By Larry Brown 47 Comments

Kevin Durant had a spectacular game for Oklahoma City Wednesday night helping the Thunder close out the Nuggets for their first playoff series victory in franchise history. Durant tied a playoff career-high with 41 points on 14-for-27 shooting and he closed with 16 points in the fourth quarter. But there was one moment where Durant made a mistake and the referees bailed him out.

The Thunder were inbounding the ball in the front court with about 15 seconds left and leading 98-97. Durant caught the ball in the front court, then his back foot stepped on the midcourt line (picture on the left), he took a dribble, and then he stepped on the line again (picture on the right). He was whistled for a backcourt violation but somehow the call was overturned.

Thanks to the bailout, the Thunder got the ball back and Durant hit a runner to make it 100-97 with 12 seconds left. Instead of shooting for the lead, the Nuggets were essentially forced into taking a three to tie — a much lower percentage shot.

Now just so you don’t think this is some hating on the refs by a Nuggets homer (I actually wanted OKC to win the series), here are the applicable rules from NBA.com that show the refs completely blew the call.

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Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Kevin Durant, NBA Playoffs 2011