There are plenty of names I can think of to call a NBA player with averages of 32 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Outstanding, amazing, lethal, sick, remarkable and downright dominant are a few fitting names that immediately come to mind. “Mr. Unreliable” is not. Of course that’s what The Oklahoman dubbed Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durantafter he posted a few subpar games (for Durant) in the team’s first-round matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies. Keep in mind, subpar for Durant (15 points, 13 rebounds in Game 4 and 26 points, 8 rebounds in Game 5) would still be considered a heck of a day for most other NBA ballers.
Durant bounced back with two 30+ point games to ouster the Grizzlies and some idiot editor in OKC is probably patting himself on the back for inspiring Durant’s magnificent return to dominance. The reality is, KD has been a beast all season long and has finally been rewarded with his first NBA MVP Award. Durant made winning the award look as a mid-range jumper as he collected 119 first-place votes. LeBron James, who finished second, earned the remaining six first-place votes.
The MVP award wasn’t the only title Durant earned this season, as he locked up his fourth scoring title in the past five years. Like the MVP race, the scoring crown was never really in doubt. Durant locked both awards up during his 41 consecutive games streak with 25 or more points. The streak is was the third-longest in NBA history. He also dropped 40+ points on 14 different occasions.
The fact that The Oklahoman had the gall to call out its superstar in the midst of such a remarkable season shows that many journalists are more interested in salacious, link-bait style headlines than sensible reporting. It doesn’t take many senses or much sense to see that Durant had the best statistical season of his stellar career. He put the Thunder on his slight shoulders while Russell Westbrook missed nearly half the season with various injuries. This shouldn’t be Durant’s first time accepting MVP hardware, but since it is, let’s give him the kudos he deserves. Tell the folks in OKC if they keep up the name-calling, not to be surprised if the next time they decide to call Durant anything, they’ll have to dial a different area code.
Mayweather win tougher than expected
Saturday night Marcos Maidana proved many people wrong (myself included) by giving pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. all he could handle over 12 rounds. Maidana spent much of the fight bullying Mayweather against the ropes and unleashing hard and awkward combinations onto his opponent. Mayweather eventually made the necessary adjustments and showed enough accuracy and elusiveness to eke out a majority decision, but for the first time in quite a while, Mayweather was forced to earn his money the hard way. Though my scorecard read 114-114 (a draw), those screaming robbery or controversy can do so upon deaf ears as they clearly don’t understand the concept of a close fight.
On the undercard, Amir Khan looked spectacular in his dismantling of Luis Collazo. Before we get too hype though, keep in mind that Collazo does not pack much power and Khan’s weakness is his Humpty Dumpty chin. Collazo couldn’t crack it, but I’d still like to see Khan beat another legit opponent before I’d toss down the ducats to see him in the ring with Mayweather.
Speaking of toss downs, Adrien Broner continued his quest to become the King Joffrey of boxing (GoT reference) aka “Mr. Most Hated” as he slammed his opponent, Carlos Molina Jr., en route to an easy but fairly dull decision victory in his first fight in the 140-pound division. He then gave one of the most annoying post-fight interviews in modern history, only rivaled by other Adrien Broner interviews. In the ring, he clearly doesn’t have the power he carried as a monster in the super featherweight and lightweight divisions. On the mic, he has less sense than the editors at The Oklahoman. Maybe Broner is sponsored by mute button repair men; otherwise someone should pull him aside and teach him how to shut up.
For the full post-fight story, visit here
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