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5 Players That Need To Cement A Legacy In The NBA Playoffs

By Josh Eberley

May 15, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) drives against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) during the fourth quarter in game six of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
May 15, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) drives against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) during the fourth quarter in game six of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

Homecoming for Kevin Durant

Flashback; June 12, 2012. A 23-year-old Kevin Durant drops a game-high 36 points and the Thunder go up 1-0 in the 2012 NBA Finals. The series does a 360 the rest of the way and the Thunder don’t win another game. They’ve also never been back to the Finals since. (Note to Cam Newton.)

Today Durant is 27 years old, has a MVP award to his name, and has totally flown under the radar. It’s sincerely bizarre. At 23 the future was his, the ceiling was limitless, but somehow his era as the league’s premier player never really came. Injuries played a role, sure, the Thunder have struggled mightily to field a healthy team in the postseason, and the management has made questionable moves to say the least. That’s not the story today though. The story now is, “If not now, when?”

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Suns' Kevin Durant getting well-earned praise before 2023-24 season
Suns' Kevin Durant getting well-earned praise before 2023-24 season /

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    • Durant and the Thunder are third in the Western Conference. Third. Not first, not second, third. At some point you have to sit on your hands and wonder, “How in the hell have the Thunder not been back?” Durant and teammate Russell Westbrook are the most talented duo in the league and are both top five players, but what do they have to show for it?

    Durant is right there statistically with his MVP season. He scores at a historic rate, and that’s not hyperbole. Remember that list of perimeter scorers not to win anything? Durant is already the king of that group, and if he retired tomorrow he’d be the best scorer not to win a championship. Nobody has put the ball in the hoop like Durant has the last seven seasons. Efficiency aside, the man has four scoring titles at 27.

    There’s only one thing left for Durant and the Thunder to do: they need to get back to the Finals and this time they need to leave soaked in the bubbly. Durant may or may not leave the Thunder this offseason, who the hell knows? I don’t even think he knows. But I can’t fathom him leaving if the Thunder are the defending champs.

    Michael Jordan won his first title at 27 and LeBron James won his first title at 27. Both were great players who had consistently faltered in the postseason. The narratives have sure changed since that time, haven’t they?

    Eyes are fixed on Stephen Curry, LeBron James and even Kawhi Leonard more so than Mr. Durant. The stage is set and no one is expecting Durant to win a ring this season. Maybe, just maybe Durant unleashes the unexpected. The Finals will be a treat this year regardless, but sign me up for Durant vs. James II.

    Next: CP3