After this season, off the heels of a second playoff victory over the San Antonio Spurs, it looks to be that way. Of course, Kevin Durant can have the occasional off shooting night. But he appears to be past the point of having others control his actions.
Last year's playoffs saw Durant locked down—at times—by Shawn Marion and Tony Allen. Kawhi Leonard can deny KD an entry pass here or there, but once Durant successfully catches, all advantages tilt toward the scoring champ.
Besides his incredible shooting ability, there is a fairly prosaic reason for why Durant is an inexorable force: He's incredibly tall. Most players exaggerate their heights, adding one or more inches to the "in shoes" measurement. KD is 6'9" without shoes, and lists himself as such. This means that your average 6'11'' center is likely the same height. The Thunder wing also has a near 7'5'' wingspan (wider than Greg Oden's).
There is simply no antidote to this for an opposing defense. Kevin Durant's shaky handling used to open himself up for vulnerability. No more. He has improved his dribbling over the summer and it shows. Not only is Durant fluid on coas ...
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Article written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss
OKC Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs: Is Kevin Durant Unguardable?
June 2nd, 2012 by Ethan Sherwood Strauss Leave a reply »
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