DETROIT – Kevin Durant sighed because he looked disrespected, then turned his face to the side to remove any doubt about how he felt.
The idea that his age would prevent him from having enough energy during the final stretch of an arduous NBA season, the suggestion that he is a mere mortal by NBA standards was as funny as it was absurd: how dare anyone?
“I’m not a normal 36-year-old man,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “I condition my mind, my body, to be a professional. So what else am I going to do? Burn away?
“How many people play at this level at my age? So you can’t compare me to anyone who has burned out. It could happen, but does it seem that way now?
Not so on Saturday afternoon, when Durant overcame an ugly first half to finish off the Detroit Pistons on the road, scoring 30 of his game-high 36 points in the final 24 minutes, with seven rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals.
If there is any belief that the Suns can be better than their current projections, it is that they have two shooters, Durant and Devin Booker, who can create outside of the offense late in games.
“Tonight was written,” Durant said. “We weren’t just out there throwing the balls and every possession trying to figure out what to do. No. We knew exactly what we wanted to do, where we wanted to go and make plays.
“That’s what confident teams do, in the fourth quarter, especially when things get crazy, stay on the same page. Every game in the last quarter is helping us.”
It is incredible to consider its production and efficiency. He’s still shooting over 50% from the field, just 38% from 3-point range and averaging his boring 27.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
He’s supposed to have every right to feel any combination of adjectives that comes to mind, given his basketball excellence, even if the Suns sit among this bunch of Western Conference teams that in one week can get out of the playoffs. -in to hold the house firmly. cut in the first round.
The Suns are .500 at midseason, but that number seems a little misleading. When Durant plays, the Suns are 20-12, a record that, if extended to an 82-game season, would put them at full home-field advantage in the first two rounds. But Durant missed some time after a left calf strain and another three games with a sprained left ankle. The Suns are 1-9 without him.
The Suns went 9-2 and then 15-18. It’s hard to say which team the Suns really are, especially since it seems so obvious that everyone is preparing for a big arrival, as in the case of Jimmy Butler, who wants to leave Miami and go to Phoenix, with Durant and Booker. The Suns’ acquisition of multiple first-round picks in a not-so-quiet trade with the Utah Jazz was a clear sign that the franchise is ready to do business with the Heat and anyone who wants to facilitate this.
Of course, it would involve Bradley Beal waiving his no-trade clause and could be a direct trade to the Heat. It could also involve the Milwaukee Bucks, with Beal going to Milwaukee in some iteration of a complicated three-team deal that no longer seems impossible, sources told Yahoo Sports.
There have been rumors that the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors will also get involved, but it seems like the push is toward this being done soon, perhaps in the next few days. Detroit and Charlotte could also operate as facilitators of a major deal, sources told Yahoo Sports.
Durant was asked if the restrictive collective bargaining agreement frustrated him, since he’s on a team desperate to compete and owner Mat Ishbia has no problem showing how deep his pockets will go, future be damned.
“I’ve seen a lot of crazy things happen in this league,” Durant said. “You know, regardless of the rules and the collective bargaining agreement in place, these guys get paid a lot of money to figure out ways and things like that. So it’s not frustrating. I mean, we just added Nick (Richards), which is a good fit.”
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Richards was acquired from Charlotte days earlier and proved his worth in Saturday’s win. They won’t count on him to score 21 every night, but those 11 rebounds in 29 minutes meant something, along with going to the foul line nine times.
Finding a fit for Jusuf Nurkić will likely be next for the Suns, with his $19.3 million salary for next season being a compelling draw for teams seeking cap relief. But of course, the fact that the Suns are a second-rate team limits their options of making a move.
“You have youth, it’s a young league,” Durant admitted. “You can have youth and energy, and a good mix of veterans. All good teams have a good mix of young and older players. You see teams with nothing but young players, sometimes they struggle. The elderly also have difficulties.”
Durant was reminded why the notion of time was introduced. A video circulated on
It was before Jones’ broken right foot a year later, before the normally career-ending Achilles injury in 2019, before the MCL injury in Brooklyn that ended his time in the East.
On that day 11 years ago, he defeated the Warriors with 54 points, one more than the career high he had set in Brooklyn years later.
But it was the most efficient high-scoring game of his career, taking just 28 shots and making 19 of them. It had the extra bounce and pop, it looked so fast and fluid; By the way, he still has it now, but it was amazing to see a younger Durant in full bloom.
And it shows how much work he’s put in to stay at this level despite his body’s atrophy and bad luck and bad times.
“The defenses are different. Look at those pictures,” Durant said. “There is not much pressure. There aren’t many guys in the paint (waiting). There are many one by one.
“Nowadays I don’t understand that, you know? I’m saying they have 16 years of film with me. I still play at that level. It may look different, yes I’m not running the lane, but I’m still taking the same shots and still getting to my spots. That’s what you look at. Am I still getting where I want to be?
The answer is a resounding yes, although it may seem different. He continues to transform his game, year after year, to remain effective, and until it is pointed out to you, you think it has always been that way.
It’s a mind trick and he continues to trick the game as the Suns continue to try to build around him to maximize his timing, perhaps to coax a deep run if things go right.
“Back then, I was trying to play like I do now,” Durant said. “I choose my places, I don’t rush. But for those teams I had to score. I had to have more energy. Look at me tonight in the second half, I wasn’t tripping. Back then, I might have stumbled. Tonight I’m more relaxed.
“I may not have the… (grunt) mate in a (friend), but I still have it a little bit. A bit.”
That frown then turned into a wry smile. It has more than a little; Durant just wants it to be enough.