Kevin Durant has had one of the most prolific seasons we have ever seen, and he will run away with the MVP award for his efforts in 2014.
Part of what has made him so great is the efficient way in which he has totally dominated the competition. He averaged a whopping 32 points on 50.3 percent shooting from the field. His true shooting percentage (including field goal, 3-pointers and free throws) came out to 63.5 percent, which is truly ridiculous.
When Tony Allen is the one defending him, though, all of that goes out the window.
This has been a major issue in the first round of the playoffs for Durant, who is accustomed to getting his way. In the first two games, Durant has shot six-of-20 from the field with Allen as his defender – good enough to consider Allen a Durant stopper. It’s not just the fact that Allen has disrupted him from the field. He has done an incredible job in completely denying Durant from even catching the ball half the time, breaking up whatever scheme the Thunder had planned and forcing them to scramble to something else with the clock winding down. The Thunder have tried to set screens on Allen, but he has been a wizard at dodging them or getting right through them.
Credit also has to go to the team defense of the Grizzlies. When Durant catches the ball, there is always at least one player in the back that closes the baseline, discouraging the small forward from driving into the paint. If Durant gets by (barely), there will be at least one or two defenders waiting to provide help. Allen’s ball pressure is difficult enough to get by, so any help following that type of defense puts a great amount of pressure on Durant, and he’s clearly been frustrated when they decide to start the defense with Allen on him. Of course, this cannot be done for an entire game (it’s simply too tiring), so Allen is not on him at all times, and that’s when Durant has done most of his damage in this series. Here’s a great compilation of some of Allen’s work:
To be perfectly clear, Durant has still been terrific in the series overall: he’s averaging 34.5 points on 47 percent shooting, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and just two turnovers. That’s more than terrific. From a statistical standpoint alone, that is utterly dominant. Just not when Allen is on him, though.
Durant was asked about this particular matter and naturally, he got a bit agitated with how the whole thing is being portrayed, from Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman:
“He’s good,” Durant said. “He’s good at dodging screens. He’s physical. But everybody plays the same way with me.”
Later in his six-minute interview session, Durant was asked why he doesn’t post up more. His response fell somewhere between agitated and defensive.
“Being a taller guy, when these shorter guys guard you, it’s a little tougher because they’re lower to the ground,” Durant said. “They’re quicker. But nobody’s just going to let me sit in the post. They’re going to put two guys on me, one on the backside and one sitting in my lap. So I just got to move around more.”
This is where Durant grew defensive.
“It’s not like I’m just getting totally locked down,” he continued. “But he’s making it tough. It’s the playoffs. Every possession’s going to be tough no matter who we’re playing. But it’s not like I’m just non-existent. I don’t know what you guys have been watching. But he’s making me work, just like everybody else would.”
But according to ESPN Stats & Information, Durant is shooting just 36 percent in this series when guarded by Allen. Against all other defenders, Durant is shooting 56 percent. Durant was 4-for-11 against Allen in Game 2.
It will be interesting to see what adjustments he makes against Allen in Game 3. And there will be adjustments, because that’s what the best players in the league do when faced with adversity, and in this case, he probably wants to shut everyone up about Allen more than anything else.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Phil Jackson was in the midst of giving Tim Duncan a big compliment before interrupting his own thought to take a little shot at his former nemesis in the San Antonio Spurs, from Al Iannazzone of Newsday:
“Tim Duncan making the salary he’s making after being part of a dynasty – not a dynasty, I wouldn’t call San Antonio a dynasty — a force, a great force,” Jackson said. “They haven’t been able to win consecutive championships but they’ve always been there. San Antonio has had a wonderful run through Tim’s tenure there as a player. He’s agreed to take a salary cut so other players can play with him so they can be this good. And that’s the beginning of team play.”
OTHER NEWS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Stephen Curry opened up about the adversity he’s facing in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers, from Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports: “I was frustrated with where the score was,” Curry said before Tuesday’s practice at Oracle Arena. “I got hit a couple of times and didn’t get a call. I’m just letting them know how I felt. We are not going to quit. We’re not going to lie down and allow a team to do what they want. “We are going to be physical. It’s about that competitive fire for Game 3 that we are going to get it done and protect our home court.” “I don’t have an angry face or antics like some other guys. I definitely play with a force or will to win,” Curry said. “Whether I need to be more demonstrative, I don’t know. I got to be physical. I got to be forceful. I got to be any other adjective.”… “I got to set myself up better and get to my sports where my guys will be affective,” Curry said. “C.P. and Darren are pretty quick guards.”… “When you get to the center of team’s defenses more opportunities open up,” Curry said. “That’s kind of what happened. I was able to get to the basket more than I had the first six quarters. “I’m looking to do that a lot more. I’m attacking the pick-and-roll, even if it’s a trap, and trying to make plays.” (click next page for more).
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