I wasn’t sure if I was ready to make this proclamation.
Going into the postseason, LeBron James was still the defending Finals MVP and had gone to the last nine NBA Finals when his squad made the playoffs. Injuries of course played a part in the Los Angeles Lakers early exit, as well as in James’s own less-than-spectacular individual performance. But Durant has been in lockstep just behind James for the last decade. I previously brought up the point prior to the 2020 NBA Playoffs that Durant may have already taken the crown, as he had captured back-to-back Finals MVPs and was well on his way to his third, before falling to injury. He had beaten LeBron head-to-head in the Finals, albeit with arguably the greatest roster of all time, and was every bit as lethal with the basketball as the King was. Though James will be back next year to vie for the throne yet again, Durant has validated his claim.
After a performance like that, Durant is clearly the best player in basketball. Everyone was calling for a 50-point game from him coming into Game 5, he got 49. But he was better than just scoring. Add on a game-high 17 rebounds and 10 assists while playing the entire 48-minute game, and this was simply a historic, signature outing from one of the NBA’s legends. According to NBA History, he is the only player to ever record that stat line in a playoff game.
Part of what makes this game a masterpiece is that everyone, including the Milwaukee Bucks, knew this was the game plan going in, but there was nothing they could do. The Bucks choked this game away in the second half after being up by as many as 17 points in the first half. Over the last two quarters, Milwaukee was outscored by 22 points en route to their 114-108 loss.
Milwaukee kept the game close and still had a chance to win it until Durant hit a ridiculous 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring with 51 seconds remaining to put the Nets up four.
This game also put to bed any debate over Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status among the best players in the world. Antetokounmpo has been in the top player discussion for a few years now but after last night, in a head-to-head matchup, we saw he is no Kevin Durant. Antetokounmpo sabotaged himself down the stretch, missing free throws and being unable to create his own shot late in the game. The Greek Freak’s playstyle forces him to rely on the likes of Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton late in games, a circumstance you’d like to avoid with your best player.
Antetokounmpo’s free throw failures, he’s shooting a ghastly 15-36 this series, also appeared to hinder his mental game in a clutch moment of Game 5. With under 20 seconds remaining and the Bucks only down by two, Middleton drove to the basket and delivered a dump-off pass to Antetokounmpo for what looked liked an easy finish at the basket to tie the game. The Greek Freak bobbled the ball though, resulting in a turnover and a foul that all but sealed the game. Charles Barkley said after the game that “there is no doubt in my mind” that the reason Antetokounmpo mishandled the pass is because he was trying to rush in an effort to avoid being fouled and forced to garner points via the free-throw line.
Despite a valiant display by Antetokounmpo, 34 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists on 14-22 from the field, the ending of this game just proved KD is on another level beyond him.
Momentum tells me even if the Bucks are able to force this series to a Game 7 that the Net’s will continue their unbeaten record at home in the playoffs.
Though there is still work to be done for the Brooklyn Nets, only one challenger remains in the postseason who could make a claim for the throne besides Durant. Kawhi Leonard leads the playoff field in PER, win shares, value over replacement player as well as total points and steals. He is the only player not named James or Durant to hoist the Finals MVP trophy over the last five years and may finally get his Clippers over the hump this season if his high level of play continues.
Regardless, we have to wait to see if Durant and Leonard match up against one another. For now, let us enjoy Durant’s historic performance that now puts him square atop the basketball world.