When Does Kevin Durant Start Getting the LeBron James Pressure Treatment?

September 20th, 2013 by Grant Hughes Leave a reply »

People hope Kevin Durant will someday win an NBA title, but they don't really demand it. And as long as LeBron James is the league's undisputed king, that isn't going to change.

For the six seasons Durant has been in the league, he's managed to skate by without having to face the burdensome expectations that James shoulders on a yearly basis. Until he won his first ring, James started every campaign with questions about when he'd finally get over the top. And once he finally got there, the pressure lingered.

Instead of answering doubters who said he'd never break through, he had to face those who wondered if he'd be able to do it again.

Durant hasn't had to face that kind of pressure. Not even close, really. 

What gives? Why is LBJ held to a championship-or-bust standard while KD gets pats on the back for accomplishing so much less?

The answer is complicated, and it says a whole lot about context, fan perception and the hierarchy of the NBA.

 

Not Totally Immune



Ironically, Durant came under fire for the first time in his career when he ...

Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by

Advertisement

Comments are closed.