FIBA World Championships 2010: Kevin Durant Carries Team USA To Gold

September 12th, 2010 by Harrison Moore Leave a reply »


Coming into the tournament, Kevin Durant had never been the man.

Sure, he’s been the undisputed leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder since they drafted him (while they were still the Seattle Supersonics), but prior to 2009, the Thunder were no more relevant to the NBA than any other Clipper or Timberwolf level bottom feeding team.

Durant, and by consequence the Thunder, immediately became media darlings as 2010 saw them improve on their dismal 2009 win total by 27 games, winning 50 overall. 

Durant finished second in MVP voting as he led the Thunder’s surprising turnaround season, but despite his team’s improvement no one expected much out of them when they were pitted against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

When the Thunder were eliminated in 6 games, no one blamed Durant. Though Durant’s scoring output was limited, it was the first playoff series of his career. He had yet to acclimate himself to the pressure of an NBA playoff series.

That’s why Durant’s play in the FIBA tournament is so special.

Prior to the Gold Medal game, Durant had been domin ...

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