LeBron James’ longevity has taken the sheen off of Kevin Durant’s. The 18-year veteran has been consistently elite since his rookie season and remains one of the game’s best players at 36. While the Suns superstar was stellar since his debut season, Grizzlies legend Tony Allen believes his performance in the 2011 playoffs against Memphis helped him become a legitimate contender for the label of the best player in the world.
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Durant was already a spectacular regular season performer, evidenced by his second-place finish in 2009-2010 MVP voting. However, he did not have a particularly good debut in the playoffs, as he averaged 25 points on an inefficient 35% shooting, including 28.6% from beyond the arc in the Thunder’s 4-2 series defeat in the first round of the 2010 playoffs against the Lakers.
But he flipped the script the following year, and Allen reminisced about it on the Out The Mud Podcast, saying,
“I think [the series against the Grizzles] was his coming-out party man. In that specific series, I saw that actual superstar in him.”
The series Allen referred to was the second-round matchup between the Grizzlies and the Thunder in the 2011 playoffs. In the first round, OKC defeated the Nuggets 4-1, with Durant averaging 32.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game on 47.1% shooting from the field.
However, the second round would prove to be a tougher challenge for the Thunder as they were scheduled to face the Grizzlies, who pulled off a shocking upset over the top-seeded Spurs and set up a series against OKC for a place in the Western Conference Finals.
After Memphis’ physical defense proved too much to handle for the experienced San Antonio roster, the consensus was that the young OKC roster would also fall victim to the Grizzlies. That rang true after they took a 2-1 series lead and were poised to push the inexperienced Thunder team on the brink of elimination with a win in Game 4 at home. But Durant wouldn’t let that happen.
He put the Thunder on his back and willed them to victory in a sensational performance. He finished the game with 35 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals while being hounded by Allen, one of the best defenders in the league. The two teams split Games 5 and 6 evenly, setting up a winner-takes-all Game 7, where OKC’s inexperience yet again became a key talking point.
However, Durant went on to shut it down in emphatic fashion.
Durant rose to the occasion in Game 7
The 14-time All-Star had a dismal Game 6, as he shot only 21% from the field and scored 11 points. But he redeemed himself in Game 7 with 39 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks, leading OKC to their maiden Conference Finals appearance. It was the first time Durant was put to the ultimate pressure test and he passed with flying colors.
OKC faced the Mavericks in the Conference Finals and their inexperience did prove to be a hindrance, as Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas’ veterans dismantled the Thunder in five games. The following year, Durant led his team to their maiden Finals appearance, where LeBron James and the Heat picked apart the young roster and won the series 4-1.
The Suns superstar has had a storybook career since, and will one day be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His performance in Game 7 against the Grizzlies birthed a legend, who went on to conquer the sport.
