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Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant’s Best Stretch of MVP Season

By Joe Atmonavage

Jan 2, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) and Brooklyn Nets point guard Shaun Livingston (14) react after Durant made a 3 point shot during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) and Brooklyn Nets point guard Shaun Livingston (14) react after Durant made a 3 point shot during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kevin Durant had an unbelievable 2013-14 season. He has the hardware to prove it.

The 25-year-old (scary, I know) forward was awarded the MVP after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to 59 wins in the loaded Western Conference while averaging 32 points per game along with 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists. He was the best player in the league last year.

When a player is having an MVP-type season, there is always a stretch that stands out where it was obvious who would be collecting the award that season. For Durant, it started Jan. 4 in Minnesota as he scored 48 points on 50 percent shooting while also racking up seven rebounds and seven assists in a four-point win for the Thunder.

Yeah, Durant dominated the Timberwolves on that night, but the scary thing?

That was not even his best game through the rest of January.

Durant was in a zone like no other player I had seen. It was like LeBron James‘ Game 5 against the Pistons in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals for an entire month.

OK, that may be a little bit exaggerated, but the point being, he was unguardable and there was nothing opponents could do about it.

From Jan. 4-31, Durant played in 15 games. He averaged 36.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 54.7 percent from the floor and 43.6 percent from beyond the arc. (I swear those aren’t from NBA2k14.)

May 6, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant holds the 2013-2014 MVP trophy during a press conference at Thunder Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
May 6, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant holds the 2013-2014 MVP trophy during a press conference at Thunder Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports /

In those games, Durant had an offensive rating (an estimate of points produced per 100 possessions) of 132 and a defensive rating (an estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions) of 106. To understand just how good that is, for his entire MVP season, Durant had an offensive rating of 123.

Because of how effective he was through this stretch scoring, his advanced shooting numbers were through the roof as well.

Durant recorded a 68.1 true shooting percentage (a measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account 2-point field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws). For the season, he had a true shooting percentage of 63.5 percent.

Durant was incredibly effective.

He also did this without his All-Star wingman Russell Westbrook. When Westbrook went down against the Raptors with another knee injury a lot of people were worried about how the Thunder would do in the difficult Western Conference.

Durant put all those whispers quickly to rest.

Apr 6, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) high fives forward Kevin Durant against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Thunder 122-115. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 6, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) high fives forward Kevin Durant against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Thunder 122-115. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

The Thunder were 12-3 in this stretch and won their final nine games that Durant played. Other players like Reggie Jackson and Serge Ibaka were stepping up, but Durant was carrying this team and not turning back.

Durant’s best game during this time was probably his 54-point destruction of the Golden State Warriors. His last couple of shots gave me flashbacks of his 66-point Rucker Park explosion in 2012.

He also almost single handily beat a really good Portland Trail Blazers team when he dropped 46 points on 17-of-25 shooting and 6-of-7 from 3. With the Thunder down by three with 3:23 to go in the game, Durant ripped off 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Here are highlights of his ridiculous fourth quarter.

Durant also had a game that only one player in history can match. He, along with Dwyane Wade, are the only players to ever score more than 41 points and record more than four rebounds, five assists, two steals, and three blocks while shooting greater than 60 percent from from the field and better than 70 percent from 3. ( I know that was a lot, but I just wanted to let you know just how good that game was.)

My favorite game was not even close to Durant’s best statistically speaking of this stretch, but it was just a joy to watch.

It was against the Brooklyn Nets and Durant obliterated them from the tip. He could have scored 70-plus in this game if he really wanted to and the game was close.

It looked like he was playing a high school team; the way he scored at ease. I felt bad for Shaun Livingston because Durant was just toying with him. He scored 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting in 30 minutes and called it a night.

Durant didn’t play in the fourth quarter with the Thunder well ahead.

These 15 games were Durant at his absolute best. He was must-see television for all basketball fans every night through this streak and he sure as hell didn’t disappoint the viewers.

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