Kevin Durant and the Lebron James Rules

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder recently lost a series against the Memphis Grizzlies.  Prior to Russell Westbrook's injury, OKC was widely considered to be the favorite to win the Western Conference.  After his injury, many people still believed  OKC could be successful in the playoffs.  They believed that Kevin Durant would be able to carry his team.  Those people were wrong.  A team with one superstar player and a bunch of decent players, who may or may not produce at a high level during the playoffs, is doomed.  That scenario sounds eerily similar to Lebron James' Cleveland Cavaliers team from a few years ago.

Lebron lead his Cavaliers team deep into the Eastern Conference playoffs multiple times and he also guided his team to the NBA Finals as well, despite not having a legitimate secondary star.  I think Lebron had the foresight, even as a Cavalier, to know that he would need high level talent, who also had the ability to produce during the playoffs, if he had any chance of winning the big games.  The playoffs are a different ball game and the magnitude of the games sometimes reduces average players to mediocre players.  Do you recall how poorly Mo Williams played in the playoffs during Lebron's last year in Cleveland?  Do you also recall that he was an "all-star" that year?  One great player is not enough to compete in today's talent laden NBA. 

Kevin Durant is the second best player in the NBA.  He is probably the best scorer in the NBA and is also one of the most likeable super star athletes in the history of the game.  Despite the great things many people say about Durant, he, alone, was not able to will his team to victory against the Grizzlies.  I am well aware that Russell Westbrook's injury and James' Harden's departure played major roles in OKC's ultimate outcome.  However, I remember people saying that Lebron was a failure or incapable of winning the big games when he carried below average teammates to the NBA Finals.  In short, the standard applied to Lebron and KD is not the same. 

Durant played relatively well against the Grizzlies, but he began to wear down in the 4th quarter of games.  In game three, he was 1-5 from the field and finished with only 2 points in the fourth quarter.  During game four, he was 2-13 from the field and finished with only 5 points in the 4th quarter.  In game five, he was 1-4 from the field and finished with only two points in the fourth quarter.  I have not heard one member of the media say that Durant choked or that he is incapable of leading a team.  The main reason is that Durant is not considered to be the best player.  He is not Lebron James, so he does not carry the burden.  He is not judged by the Lebron James Rules. 


Peace