He made nearly 55 percent of his field goals and averaged 30.6 points in those five NBA Finals games against the Miami Heat, games in which he faced the defensive likes of LeBron James and Shane Battier.
And it goes without saying the Los Angeles Lakers don't have tools like that on the wing, so slowing KD down—much less stopping him—will be a tall order.
Yet also entirely necessary.
Durant didn't score 40 a game against the Lakers in last season's conference semifinals, but he quietly beat them with incredible efficiency, shooting at a 52-percent clip (to Kobe Bryant's 43 percent).
The Lakers series wasn't an aberration for Durant either—he shot the ball at just under 52 percent for the duration of the postseason—something Bryant hasn't done, or really even come close to doing.
For a perimeter scorer, that kind of marksmanship is scary.
Both in general and to the Lakers in particular. While L.A. can count on an all-around improved offense this season, the fact remains that the Oklahoma City Thunder averaged 7.3 more points per game in the 2012 playoffs.
If Lakers fans think Steve Nash is some kind of silver bullet, they'll be sorely disappointed. If they think Dwight Howard is going to step out to the three-point line to assert his dominant defense against Durant's jumper, they must think he really is Superman.
Los Angeles still needs an answer for Kevin Durant (which isn't to say it ever found one for Russell Westbrook).
The first step will be ball denial, something Metta World Peace is strong enough to pull off at least in theory. It's not easy to deny Durant either the ball or floor space because he really can shoot from anywhere, off the dribble or assisted.
Given ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
