OKC Needs Durant to Be Better Than He’s Ever Been If Warriors Are to Be Derailed

OAKLAND, Calif. — Three days to rest.

Three days to master the triple-team defenses being thrown at him.

Three days to alter his legacy.

Kevin Durant heads home to Oklahoma City with a lot to do during this three-day stretch without a game in the Western Conference finals.

If Durant plays better than he did in the first two games, the Thunder can protect home court twice and take an imposing 3-1 series lead on these mighty defending champions recently anointed the greatest regular-season team in NBA history.

If Durant doesn’t, the Golden State Warriors reclaim control of their path to the NBA Finals—and the scrutiny that Durant has done so well to manage this season regarding his impending free agency will finally go off the rails.

But when the series resumes Sunday night in Game 3, Durant must be more than better.

He must be better than he ever has been.

That’s the burden of greatness he expected to regain after last season was lost to a broken-again foot that required extensive rebuilding.

He watched Stephen Curry and LeBron James last June with a level of jealousy he openly admits.

He dedicated himself to recovery and made it back to the USA Basketball minicamp over the summer, going as far as to announce himself as “the best player in the world,” according to CSN Chicago’s Vincent Goodwill (h/t CBSSports.com).

Whether sharing his sweet or dark side with the public, the private KD sweats excellence more than is known. So these three days matter more to him than comes across in his usual even-keel demeanor.

We saw a glimpse of that in the Warriors’ easy Game 2 victory Wednesday. Durant frittered away the Thunder’s opportunity to go up 2-0 in the series with his second-quarter turnovers and more sloppiness in the third. It was a stretch that left Durant visibly angry with himself.

Midway through the third period, with Golden State up by 10 points, he and Curry got tangled up, with Curry on the floor under the basket and sort of holding Durant’s shoe. Durant took the opportunity to give Curry an extra shove to break free as the referees followed the ball elsewhere. The extra push effectively kept Curry down and offended him enough that Curry tried to subtly kick back at Durant.

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