Where has Kevin Durant disappeared to during the past two games of the 2012 NBA Finals?
What has happened to Mr. Oklahoma City Thunder himself since June 14?
After a LeBron James defense-inhibiting Games 3 and 4, and partially Russell Westbrook's shootathon-obstructing Game 4, Durant will reappear and go off against the Miami Heat tonight.
(Worry not: this is not a hate-on-Westbrook piece).
KD is simply too good—especially in the clutch—and the Heat face too much pressure.
Durant scored 36 points on an incredibly efficient 12-for-20 shooting in the first matchup, including 17 in the fourth.
He was nearly as efficient in the second game (12-for-22) with 32 points and 16 points in the final frame. After a three that cut the Thunder’s deficit to two, LeBron blatantly fouled Durant on a seven-foot jumper that the officials inexplicably didn’t call (let’s just say he’ll earn that call in the next couple of years).
This was a game-tying moment and one in which Durant would have made those two free throws.
And just to verify his clutch fourth quarter performances with a little more statistical backing, 82games.com rank Durant No. 2 in production during “clutch time.”
As for LeBron and the rest of his Miami teammates, they’ll face pressure at an all-time high. Forget the correlation between last game and the beginning of their meltdown against Dallas in last year’s finals (both with Miami up 2 to 1).
LeBron and Co. (Mr. James especially) will feel the weight of a pending return to Oklahoma City and reversal of odds favoring OKC if they were to lose Game 5. LeBron’s cramping issues hampering his coverage of Durant is a legitimate concern as well.
Some will say that the Heat will use that pressure to their advantage and play like a must-win Game 7 to close things out. That’s a fair statement, but I’ll say they’ll fall in the face of a monster night by Durant.
(I still have the Heat winning in six games).
The Durantula can’t save the series for his Thunder. He will, however, bring a Game 6 back to his home crowd for one last hurrah in 2012.
I’ll go with 35-plus, nine boards and five assists.
Your thoughts on Mr. Durant’s upcoming performance in Game 5?
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