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Is Kevin Durant an all-time top-ten player?

Can Kevin Durant and the Warriors rack up another championship? (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
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16th July, 2018
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Back-to-back finals MVP, Kevin Durant is arguably playing the best basketball of his career and making a case to be considered as one of the legends of the game.

But where does he sit on the all-time ladder we so often discuss?

KD misses out on the top ten by one spot, sitting below Shaquille O’Neal, at 11.

However, when it is all said and done for ‘The Snake’, he will be in the same tier of player as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, sitting in the top seven.

But as a pure scorer, you could make the case he is the best to ever do it purely based off his natural practicalities in his possession.

If you told an NBA fan before his time that there will be a seven-footer who can dribble, shoot, pass and get to the rack better than anyone they wouldn’t believe you.

During his time at the Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant made a finals appearance, won the MVP, and claimed multiple scoring titles, but he was always looked second best.

Second in the draft, second compared to LeBron James, and second in the finals.

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Since joining the Warriors, Durant has won back-to-back titles, including two finals MVPs. However, that achievement may be overlooked, as he joined a team that previously replaced Michael Jordan’s Bulls for an all-time record of 73 wins in a regular season.

However, Durant has taken the team to a level of dominance never witnessed before, including when Jordan was at Chicago.

Since joining Golden State, Durant has also been able to show off what he can do on the defensive side of the court. Not having to carry a significant offensive load facilitates his role to become the team’s rim protector, averaging just under two blocks a game this season.

Although without Durant, the Warriors still have three other bonafide All Stars, we cannot simply ignore his last two stellar finals performances.

In Game 3 two years ago, Durant sunk a career-defining dagger-three to put the game away and take a 3-0 lead against Cleveland.

For the rest of time, fans will remember KD’s pull up three over LeBron in crunch time and this year’s cross-over 30-footer to put the Warriors up by six with less than a minute to go.

This year’s Game 3 was possibly his greatest game and one of the best NBA finals performances ever, putting up 43 points, as no-one looked close to slowing him down.

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When it’s all said and done for Kevin Durant, people will give this man the respect he deserves.

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