Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant graces the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated, which, along with three scoring titles and a Western Conference championship, are just about the only things he’s ever finished first in, apparently. In the cover story, the Thunder superstar vents to Lee Jenkins about being a perpetual bridesmaid:
I’ve been second my whole life. I was the second best player in high school. I was the second pick in the draft. I’ve been second in the MVP voting three times. I came in second in the finals. I’m tired of being second. I’m not going to settle for that. I’m done with it. I’m not taking it easy on [LeBron]. Don’t you know I’m trying to destroy the guy every time I go on the court?
Those references obviously allude to Greg Oden (twice), last year’s Finals loss to the Miami Heat, and an apparent concession of the 2012-13 MVP Award to LeBron James (officially, Durant is a two-time runner up for MVP, which is bound to become three in a matter of days). However, it should be noted that he appeared to “settle” for second in the scoring title this season, but we can forgive him for not matching Carmelo Anthony’s absurd season-ending hot streak, which essentially knocked him out of the running.
[NewsOK]
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