duncan228
02-11-2010, 04:49 PM
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/tsn/5b/fullj.6640446474dd70a52889db0a1df2b37c/tsn-kevindurantsmomentto0.jpg?x=225&y=290&xc=1&yc=1&wc=225&hc=290&q=100&sig=Y1fCx4ygiLXvwEHAznFJaA--
Kevin Durant’s Moment to Become Household Superstar Arrives at All-Star Weekend (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-kevindurantsmomentto&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
This weekend, the NBA will celebrate its stars in Dallas, putting its best face forward in recognition of the titans of the game. It’s a time for joyous reflection on what these stars have given us over the years.
For a first-time All-Star, though, the game is a little different. In many cases, these players are appearing on a national stage for the first time. The All-Star Game is their chance to show their stuff in front of many eyes that haven’t seen them before, to prove that their previously faceless numbers are attached to exciting and marketable games and faces.
What I’m getting at, if you couldn’t tell by the picture above, is that this could be the weekend where Kevin Durant changes his public image from an underappreciated offensive genius into one of the league’s acknowledged superstars. After a historic first half—his streak of 25 consecutive games with 25 points or more is the longest since Allen Iverson’s did it 27 times in his MVP season of 2000-01—Durant is ready to bust out on the national scene.
Last year’s All-Star Weekend belonged to Durant, too, even though it was over by Saturday afternoon. In the Rookie Challenge, he set a scoring record with 46 effortless points and generally looked like someone who should have been playing on Sunday. Then, on Saturday, he took the inaugural H.O.R.S.E. competition with a display that, while not exactly thrilling, proved that he has a killer instinct that can’t be turned off for even the most frivolous of events (I can’t wait to see him in Shooting Stars after he retires). Last February, very few people outside of the most devoted League Pass subscribers had even seen Durant in more than a few games. When I tried to tell people last season that he was already one of the 10-best offensive players in the league, few believed me. His All-Star Weekend performance made people notice that he was developing at an alarmingly impressive rate in Oklahoma City.
The same dynamic is at play this weekend, just on a bigger stage. Everyone now acknowledges Durant’s greatness, but he still doesn’t have the cultural cachet of stars who couldn’t begin to put up the same kinds of numbers. The Thunder are getting attention as a likely playoff team, but they’re still relegated to Friday nights and NBA Fan Night appearances for national telecasts. At the All-Star Game, no one will be able to ignore Durant anymore. It’s a big stage that allows for players to prove they belong on the list of superstars, even if the game itself isn’t incredibly competitive.
Conventional wisdom says first-time All-Stars aren’t able to make such a large impression, but Durant is an entirely unconventional player. As far back as the 2006 McDonald’s All-American Game, where he was co-MVP, Durant has relished the big stage, continually putting in clutch performances at Texas and hitting big shots as the go-to guy for a young NBA team. Plus, in the summer before his rookie year, Durant worked out with Team USA and was one of the best players on the floor during their televised summer scrimmage. Without having played a single NBA game, he looked like he deserved to be spoken of in the same breath as the biggest names in the game.
Durant’s legend will not find its full expression this weekend; that kind of success is reserved for the playoffs, when the big shots matter more and men are separated from boys, as the saying goes. But when his place on the list of the league’s greats is established, don’t be surprised to look back on these days as the moment when he became a widely acknowledged superstar. Durant hasn’t disappointed yet, and I see little reason to believe he’ll start now.
Kevin Durant’s Moment to Become Household Superstar Arrives at All-Star Weekend (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-kevindurantsmomentto&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
This weekend, the NBA will celebrate its stars in Dallas, putting its best face forward in recognition of the titans of the game. It’s a time for joyous reflection on what these stars have given us over the years.
For a first-time All-Star, though, the game is a little different. In many cases, these players are appearing on a national stage for the first time. The All-Star Game is their chance to show their stuff in front of many eyes that haven’t seen them before, to prove that their previously faceless numbers are attached to exciting and marketable games and faces.
What I’m getting at, if you couldn’t tell by the picture above, is that this could be the weekend where Kevin Durant changes his public image from an underappreciated offensive genius into one of the league’s acknowledged superstars. After a historic first half—his streak of 25 consecutive games with 25 points or more is the longest since Allen Iverson’s did it 27 times in his MVP season of 2000-01—Durant is ready to bust out on the national scene.
Last year’s All-Star Weekend belonged to Durant, too, even though it was over by Saturday afternoon. In the Rookie Challenge, he set a scoring record with 46 effortless points and generally looked like someone who should have been playing on Sunday. Then, on Saturday, he took the inaugural H.O.R.S.E. competition with a display that, while not exactly thrilling, proved that he has a killer instinct that can’t be turned off for even the most frivolous of events (I can’t wait to see him in Shooting Stars after he retires). Last February, very few people outside of the most devoted League Pass subscribers had even seen Durant in more than a few games. When I tried to tell people last season that he was already one of the 10-best offensive players in the league, few believed me. His All-Star Weekend performance made people notice that he was developing at an alarmingly impressive rate in Oklahoma City.
The same dynamic is at play this weekend, just on a bigger stage. Everyone now acknowledges Durant’s greatness, but he still doesn’t have the cultural cachet of stars who couldn’t begin to put up the same kinds of numbers. The Thunder are getting attention as a likely playoff team, but they’re still relegated to Friday nights and NBA Fan Night appearances for national telecasts. At the All-Star Game, no one will be able to ignore Durant anymore. It’s a big stage that allows for players to prove they belong on the list of superstars, even if the game itself isn’t incredibly competitive.
Conventional wisdom says first-time All-Stars aren’t able to make such a large impression, but Durant is an entirely unconventional player. As far back as the 2006 McDonald’s All-American Game, where he was co-MVP, Durant has relished the big stage, continually putting in clutch performances at Texas and hitting big shots as the go-to guy for a young NBA team. Plus, in the summer before his rookie year, Durant worked out with Team USA and was one of the best players on the floor during their televised summer scrimmage. Without having played a single NBA game, he looked like he deserved to be spoken of in the same breath as the biggest names in the game.
Durant’s legend will not find its full expression this weekend; that kind of success is reserved for the playoffs, when the big shots matter more and men are separated from boys, as the saying goes. But when his place on the list of the league’s greats is established, don’t be surprised to look back on these days as the moment when he became a widely acknowledged superstar. Durant hasn’t disappointed yet, and I see little reason to believe he’ll start now.