Kevin Durant vs Superstar Expectations: ‘He's excited for Game 2'

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OAKLAND -- He scored 26 points. Had nine rebounds. Six assists, with one turnover. Blocked three shots. Got a steal. Played 46 minutes, finishing a team-best plus-17.

So how terrible, really, was Kevin Durant on Thursday in Game 1 of the NBA Finals?

“We're all victims of our expectations that we've set,” Stephen Curry said after a light practice Saturday. “I mean, the fact that they're saying KD had a bad game is kind of funny, just with what you expect from him every single night.”

With Game 2 looming Sunday, Durant’s personal bar won’t get lowered anytime soon. He’s expected to be a star, he’s the 2017 Finals MVP and he’s coming off a seven-game series win over Houston in which he scored 213 points, passing Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal for most points in a Western Conference Finals.

Against the Rockets, Durant shot 49.0 percent inside the arc, 39.6 percent beyond it and 88.5 percent from the line. His 5.7 rebounds are a decline from 7.4 in the conference semifinals, which was a drop from 8.6 in the first round.

Durant’s most visible flaws in Game 1 Thursday night were occasional inattention to detail or fundamentals -- JR Smith’s rebound off a missed free throw by George Hill late in regulation of Game 1 was a direct result of Durant’s failure to block out -- and shooting efficiency. He was 8-of-22 from the field, 1-of-7 from deep.

“I didn't take smart shots,” he conceded after light practice Saturday. “I took risky looks. I took some shots that I know I can hit, but I'd rather get better shots than that. I'm not worried about my makes or misses. It's just more so am I getting good, quality shots? After that, the rest will figure itself out.

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“But I'm glad I was able to contribute and do other stuff as well when my shot wasn't falling and help us get the W.”

The Durant-Warriors harmony became a topic of discussion in the series against Houston, and it was exacerbated by the video clip of Warriors coach Steve Kerr relating a story from his playing days with the Bulls. In explaining how Chicago coach Phil Jackson once urged Michael Jordan to “trust his teammates,” Kerr was asking the same of Durant, who had fallen into the habit -- partly out of necessity -- of playing “iso” ball on offense.

And while Kerr’s comments, along with them being heard by the world at large, could have annoyed Durant, he says otherwise.

“No, I really enjoyed that conversation,” he said. “Just having somebody that was that close to the legend Michael Jordan tell me and feel confident that I guess we were in similar positions at the moment made me feel good about myself -- that he can relate that moment to Michael Jordan.

“I always enjoy those stories, from Coach Kerr, from (assistant coach) Mike Brown, from guys that have been in the league so long, to share those experiences with the greats and the guys that kind of did it before me. I really, really appreciated that moment. I needed it as well.”

When Durant is fully engaged on defense, he is terrific and it has a profound effect on the team’s defense. He provided glimpses of that early in the regular season before tailing off in the new calendar year.

Furthermore, when the ball is moving as Kerr prefers, the Warriors are much harder to defend. Durant benefits as much as anyone on the roster.

When he’s feeling the game and his teammates, the only person that can stop him is himself.

“That's on me to kind of know the flow of the game,” Durant said. “I've done a solid job of that throughout this season and throughout the playoffs. I had some games where I struggled a bit, and that's just a part of it. But just kind of feeling the game, how each game might be different, and I think that goes into focus.

“So if I come into the game knowing and being prepared for anything, then I can conquer it. But that goes back to just being locked in to start.”

The Warriors will take most of what Durant delivered in Game 1. They’d love him to repeat the blocks, the assists-to-turnovers ratio and the plus-minus total. And they’d be content with a similar number of rebounds.

They’re asking for slightly better shot selection and considerably more attention to detail. Not only are they asking, they’re expecting.

“He's an unbelievable talent and safety valve anytime we need him to get a bucket,” Kerr said. “He's focused. He knows he didn't play very well in Game 1. He's excited for Game 2.”

If the Kevin Durant of the 2017 NBA Finals shows up Sunday, it’s going to be really difficult for anyone, no matter how critical, to wonder how he could be better.

Game Result/Schedule
Game 1 Warriors 124, Cavs 114 (OT)
Game 2 Oakland -- Sunday, June 3 at 5pm
Game 3 Cleveland -- Wednesday, June 6 at 6pm
Game 4 Cleveland -- Friday, June 8 at 6pm
Game 5 Oakland -- Monday, June 11 at 6pm
Game 6 Cleveland -- Thursday, June 14 at 6pm
Game 7 Oakland -- Sunday, June 17 at 5pm
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