KD: ‘Most skilled basketball player on Earth’
Kevin Durant on Sunday became one of just four players in National Basketball Association history to average at least 40 points, five rebounds and five assists over a five-game span within one post-season.
One of those players is Michael Jordan, and that’s exactly who the Golden State Warriors star reminds coach Steve Kerr of.
Asked after the Warriors’ Game 1 win over Houston if he’s ever seen anyone have a stretch like Durant is having, Kerr quipped: “There’s this guy named Michael, something. Can’t remember his last name.”
Kerr, of course, played alongside Jordan in Chicago, where he won three of his five championships.
“Kevin’s run these last couple of weeks, it’s just been off the charts,” Kerr continued. “I’ve said it a few times this week: He’s the most skilled basketball player on Earth. He’s one of the most skilled basketball players to ever play the game. There’s never been anybody like him — 6-11, handles the ball, shoots threes, passes, defends.
“He’s just an unbelievable talent. I think after we lost Game 2 to the Clippers (a historic collapse in the first round), I think he just felt like he just had to turn it up and lift us up another level, and that’s exactly what he’s done.”
Since that Game 2 loss — a game in which Durant took just eight shots and was hounded by Clippers guard Patrick Beverley — Durant has scored 38, 33, 45, 50 and 35 points, respectively. His 50-point outing, which clinched the first-round series against the Clippers, was one of the most impressive scoring feats in playoff history, as he needed just 26 shots to hit the half-century mark.
The Warriors lead the Rockets 1-0 after Sunday’s 104-100 victory, and if Durant keeps playing the way he’s been playing, the odds of them not winning a third consecutive championship will be as slim as ever.
Game 2 is Tuesday in Oakland.