Kevin Durant does press conferences by himself and together with his backpack, he takes control of the mic and slumps back in his chair, relaxed, whether the Oklahoma City Thunder win or lose. The difference this year is that there is no Russell Westbrook with him on the court or sitting next to him in the press conferences. Doesn't this seem a lot like Dirk Nowitzki back in 2011?
Nowitzki was a one-man team. The Dallas Mavericks were in the NBA Finals facing the mighty and all powerful Miami Heat. The Mavericks didn't stand a chance. However, Nowitzki controlled the game. He didn't finish with huge point totals, but he made his presence when it mattered most, in the fourth quarter. Not only did this help his Mavericks win the championship, but it also made LeBron James look super bad because that's usually when his game digressed leading many to believe he was a choker.
Similar to how Nowitzki had to do it all for his Mavericks in 2011, Durant is going through the same thing in 2013. He is the guy now in the Thunder and though he has been doing the mic thing in press conferences for a while, this is the first time he is without a sidekick, similar to how Nowitzki had to close out games for the Mavericks.
Here are some videos of Durant and the mic.
This was after the NBA Finals where the Heat came roaring back and won four straight games after dropping the first at home.
This is what Durant one day hopes to do, a press conference with the Larry O'Brien right next to him. Of course, it's easy for Nowitzki to sit back and relax after finally reaching his goal following over a decade of pro basketball.
Nowitzki was a late bloomer, meanwhile Durant has been making noise since his college days as as Texas Longhorn. In 2013, however, Durant is now the one-man show in Oklahoma City. He continues to score points every game, but the Thunder are not the favorite to win it in the West. They are currently facing the Memphis Grizzlies and many have this team making the NBA Finals representing the Western Conference. Also entering talks as the team to make it out of the West are the Golden State Warriors who have looked like the superior team in the second round against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Thunder and Grizzlies are tied 1-1. Durant will surely continue scoring, but how many points will it take from the All-Star as the Thunder have struggled in the second round of the NBA Playoffs? In the meantime, look forward to Durant's press conference where he is surely to look calm and cool regardless if the Thunder win or lose.