Lebron & Durant: Time for a New King?

Tonight's game will likely be one of the most viewed of the 2013-14 NBA Season.  The Miami Heat play the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Both teams are having successful seasons, but let's be honest; the people want to see LBJ battle Durant.  This might actually be the first time since these two great players have played against each other that Lebron might be an underdog.  Although he is having a great season, it is safe to say that Durant is having an even better season.  Does the media want to anoint a new best player?  Surely the answer to this question is another question--which player's ascension will be the most compelling story and thus lead to better ratings?

Men Lie; Women Lie; Numbers Don't

Kevin Durant is having one of the most dominant seasons in the history of the NBA.  He is currently in the midst of 11 consecutive games of scoring at least 30 points per game. He has a 40 and 50 point game interspersed in the streak as well.  The streak is even more impressive because it has come without the steady production of Russell Westbrook, who has been out of the lineup with a knee injury. This fact is particularly important because   Durant struggled to carry the team on his back in the NBA Playoffs last year when Westbrook was injured.  However, this year, Durant has guided has team to the best record in the Western Conference.  He has done so, by-in-large, without the help of his sidekick.  All things considered, he has had the best individual season of any player in the NBA this year.  His stat line is ridiculous: 31.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 5.2 APG, 51% FG%, 88.1% FT%, and 41.9 3P%.  

Media's Role

All truly transcendent players experience voter fatigue.  This happened to Michael  Jordan during his second championship run when Karl Malone was voted as the regular season's Most Valuable Player.  With Lebron winning three of the last four MVP Awards, the media may be a bit tired of reporting about the inevitable Lebron James MVP Award.  Earlier this season, the media seemed to back Paul George as an underdog candidate to win the MVP Award, and then "it" happened.  The "it" is Kevin Durant's historical scoring streak.  This storyline has captured the media's attention, while giving them a new, fresh story to report.  Lebron's acknowledgement of Durant's skill, and his acknowledgement that Durant cannot be guarded one-on-one by any player has also given Durant's streak that much more publicity and credibility.  The media wants to spin the story that Durant is tired of playing the role of runner-up to Lebron year after year.  That story is compelling indeed.  

MVP Trophy

Let us not get ahead of ourselves.  Lebron James is still the best player in the world.  That does not mean that another player cannot have a better season than him.  Thus far this year, Durant has had a slightly better statistical season.  These two great players know as well as anyone that the MVP is a regular season award.  It is one that has eluded Durant during his seven years in the NBA.  It is one that Lebron has won four times.  The post season performances of both players are most important.  Even if Durant outplays Lebron tonight, the season is not even halfway complete, and Westbrook will be back in a Thunder uniform sooner than later.  That means a few things for Durant: adjustments, and more adjustments.  Who knows how Westbrook's return will impact Durant's game, and whether that impact will be positive.  

Regardless of what happens in tonight's matchup, it should be can't miss television.

Peace

Richard Sherman: Thug Life (Or Not)

Richard Sherman's name has been mentioned in just about every media outlet over the past week.  His recent popularity (or infamy) stems from an on-field interview following one of the biggest plays of his young career.  He tipped away a pass intended for Michael Crabtree of the San Franciso 49ers that solidified an appearance for his Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.  Immediately following this play, a reporter shoved a microphone in his face and asked him to expound on the final play of the game.  Sherman's response could be called a rant, but he was honest about his feelings.  He basically said that he was the best cornerback in the NFL, that Michael Crabtree was not a good football player, and that the opposing quarterback should have never attempted to throw a pass is his vicinity (see video clip below).  The media storm following the interview has been well covered.  Somewhere in this storm, Richard Sherman has been called a thug.  I decided to look into the merits of this title to see if it accurately describes Sherman.  

THUG

When I hear the term "thug," I think of convicted criminals.  Some of the more infamous thugs I can think of are Al Capone, Bumpy Johnson, and Alpo Martinez.  In the fiction realm I think of characters like Nino Brown from New Jack City, Birdie from Above the Rim, and Ole Dog from Menace II Society.  None of these people--fiction or non-fiction--attended college, or held legal jobs.  According to Merriam Webster's dictionary, a thug is defined as a brutal ruffian or assassin.  So with that context in place, let's take a look into Richard Sherman's life to determine if he deserves the thug moniker.

EDUCATION

Richard Sherman is an interesting individual; he is a very gifted football player and is also supremely confident in his ability.  He was born and raised in Compton, California where gang-violence and poverty were just a few of the challenges faced by him.  Despite his humble beginnings, he graduated from Dominguez High School with a 4.2 grade point average.  His high academic accolades were very impressive, but his on-the-field exploits helped him earn a football scholarship to one of the most prestigious universities in the world--Stanford University.  While at Stanford, he also ran track and earned a degree in Communications.  Nowhere in my research have I seen evidence that Sherman has a criminal record or otherwise conducted himself in a thuggish manner befitting a "thug."    

TIMING

Timing is everything.  Although I am not a reporter, it is fairly obvious that reporters are trained to search for a story that will attract the most viewers.  In Sherman's case, the timing was perfect.  The reporter likely was aware of Crabtree and Sherman's history with each other.  Apparently, some sort of altercation nearly occurred last summer at a celebrity event between Crabtree and Sherman. Needless to say, they are certainly not friends and their respective positions on the football field are in direct opposition to each other.  In other words, the nature of their encounters on the football field are adversarial by nature.  When the reporter interviewed Sherman right after the play, she knew his response would likely lead to great television ratings.  Her timing was perfect.

BACKLASH

Since the famous interview, Sherman has been questioned regarding his response during the on-field interview.  Judging by the interviews I have seen, he is certainly not a thug.  He is intelligent and well-spoken; this is to be expected of a Stanford graduate.  He is unapologetic for his comments other than to say that he should not have attacked Crabtree on a personal level.  He is standing firmly behind his other comments which amount to him basically saying that he is the best cornerback in the NFL.  This kind of statement has been made by many other athletes and is usually not a big deal.  I have seen and heard celebrities say much more offensive comments yet receive far less backlash than Sherman.  That begs the question:  What is it about Sherman that makes him a prime target?  

Sherman was in the heat of the battle in the biggest game of his career when he was interviewed.  His response may not have been conventional, but it was brutally honest.    Lastly, there is no evidence to support a thug moniker.  It is completely unfounded and offensive that he has been called a thug simply because of his 20 second interview.

Peace