PLAYOFFS 2012: Kevin Durant
From #BTL contributor Mink Couteaux, prints and t-shirts available here.
(Made by J.Madison Bond)
Kevin Durant is your 2011-2012 NBA scoring champion. He’s won the last 3 scoring titles.
He is 23 years old.
Other than flipping Durant on his side, this photo is completely unedited. No Photoshop.
![Not everyone was so excited about Blake Griffin cannon shot dunk on Kendrick Perkins. “The People’s Champ,” Kevin Durant told ESPN’s Tim McMahon:
“I have no appreciation for it at all. It was a layup, I think. He threw the ball in and got fouled and made his free throw, so it was three points at the end of the day, no matter how it happened, how it went in the basket. I really wasn’t impressed. He finished it. So what? We’ve moved on.”
I love poor sports. I mean, I think grown men should be civil, and I think there should be a professional courtesy involved with celebrations on court, but poor sports are great for the game. Statements like the one above show you just how much Kevin Durant wants it. Is there any question how badly he wants to win?
Let’s flashback to Game 6 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals. The Dallas Mavericks had just ousted Durant’s Thunder, and Durant showed his cards.
Reporter: Dirk’s been eliminated in the first round, 3 of the last 4 years. For him to reach The Finals at this stage of his career, what kind of feelings do you have, seeing him succeed, even at your expense?
Durant: I’m not happy at all. I’m a competitor, man. I really didn’t care about what he went through last 3 or 4 years. I know it’s been tough for him, he lost 3 of the last 4 years in the first round. I’m sure he’s happy now, he’s going back to The Finals, but I’m not happy for him at all, because I wanted to be there.
You’re lying to yourself if you don’t want a guy with that attitude on your team, and you’re lying to yourself if you don’t think both of these Durant quotes are kind of cool.
I love you for being a hater, Kevin Durant.
At the same time, hating Blake Griffin is a great way to get boofed on. Nevermind. I’m gonna delete this.
@gotem_coach
[click to enlarge the amazing photo]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyqfvgcwEi1qcmnsoo1_1280.png)
Not everyone was so excited about Blake Griffin cannon shot dunk on Kendrick Perkins. “The People’s Champ,” Kevin Durant told ESPN’s Tim McMahon:
“I have no appreciation for it at all. It was a layup, I think. He threw the ball in and got fouled and made his free throw, so it was three points at the end of the day, no matter how it happened, how it went in the basket. I really wasn’t impressed. He finished it. So what? We’ve moved on.”
I love poor sports. I mean, I think grown men should be civil, and I think there should be a professional courtesy involved with celebrations on court, but poor sports are great for the game. Statements like the one above show you just how much Kevin Durant wants it. Is there any question how badly he wants to win?
Let’s flashback to Game 6 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals. The Dallas Mavericks had just ousted Durant’s Thunder, and Durant showed his cards.
Reporter: Dirk’s been eliminated in the first round, 3 of the last 4 years. For him to reach The Finals at this stage of his career, what kind of feelings do you have, seeing him succeed, even at your expense?
Durant: I’m not happy at all. I’m a competitor, man. I really didn’t care about what he went through last 3 or 4 years. I know it’s been tough for him, he lost 3 of the last 4 years in the first round. I’m sure he’s happy now, he’s going back to The Finals, but I’m not happy for him at all, because I wanted to be there.
You’re lying to yourself if you don’t want a guy with that attitude on your team, and you’re lying to yourself if you don’t think both of these Durant quotes are kind of cool.
I love you for being a hater, Kevin Durant.
At the same time, hating Blake Griffin is a great way to get boofed on. Nevermind. I’m gonna delete this.
[click to enlarge the amazing photo]
Kevin Durant’s Summer “Vacation”
From China to the Philippines, Rucker to D.C., Kevin Durant spent his long Summer stepping into the firmament of NBA superstars. Arguably the league’s best scorer at the ripe old age of 22, the extra reps of Summer ball weren’t as important to Durant’s rising celebrity. It was the barnstorming.
Of course, Durant couldn’t be the NBA’s future poster boy without the skills, but he seems to be taking care of that quite nicely, I might say. It was hitting the streets, visiting the playgrounds, and playing in the small gyms that have taken the Oklahoma City forward from NBA All-Star to the People’s Champ.
Every single person lucky enough to see the long frame of Kevin Durant stride onto their home court, strapped with a uniform of backpack and headphones, is now invested in his future. Fact is, I care about Durant more after watching him battle a heckler at the NIKE Pro-City game I attended. That was the point of his global basketball tour (which isn’t even over yet).
Now, Kevin’s approachable. Relatable. He’s not just the guy on television. You’ve seen him in your hometown. You’ve watched him play for nothing. You see his passion.
Make no mistake about it: whenever the NBA comes back, you’re going to tune in to see Kevin Durant, you’re going to check the Thunder’s record, and you’re going to hope to see his truly unique game in person.
If you were lucky enough to catch him this past Summer, you may well end up telling your children you saw one of the greatest to ever lace them up, play the game he loves, not in some gigantic arena with tens of thousands, but up close and personal.
That’s what happens when you’re The People’s Champ.
(photos: kevindurant35.com I Michael Stargill)
NBA LOCKOUT UPDATE: Day 1
Kevin Durant joins Odd Future for their East Coast tour. He will function primarily as hype man for Tyler the Creator.
Salary: Shout out on the next OF album
@gotem_coach (h/t @kampashai)
