Durant: "I'm no longer obsessed with winning"

[Clipper Nation]

Kevin Durant admitted he was obsessed with leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a championship last season -- too obsessed.




So even though he had another magnificent season -- scoring 28.1 points per game, and shooting 51 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from 3-point range -- his infatuation with winning a title affected him personally, and he even took it out on others.



"Last year, I was obsessed with it," Durant told The Oklahoman of winning a title. "Like, I wasn't going to sleep because I wanted to win so bad. I was screaming at my teammates, at the refs, at the coaches. I got mad because I thought 'if we have a bad game here, we're not going to win a championship.'"



Those cracks showed up in his demeanor on the court as well, as he was called for 12 technical fouls last season -- far surpassing his total from the previous five seasons combined.



All the while, Durant was feeling that he needed to play perfectly each night and held his team to that same standard.



"Like, for me, when I was coming in I was like 'If I miss a shot, I'm going to miss this shot in Game 6 of the Finals,'" he said in the report. "'If we don't play defense this game, we're not going to play defense in the Finals.' Like, I was thinking like that. And I was going home and I would get so mad over small stuff. That's not me. So I was losing myself over what people thought, what other people thought."



That title chase ultimately fell short when the Thunder, minus injured Russell Westbrook, were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Memphis Grizzlies.

A year wiser, Durant is taking a different approach as the new season nears.



"So I'm not going to let that overtake my mind," Durant told The Oklahoman of his championship chase. "I mean, of course I want to win it, but I'm not obsessed with it. I'm going to put in the work to help my team, but I'm not going to be obsessed with it because that's when I compromise myself, and most of the time it doesn't work out."
KD with the beta-male bads, per par :lol

[Venti Quattro]

WHAT A FUCKING BETA MALE hahaha

[Arnold Toht]

Career 0-timer. Career loser.

Just like Chris.

[lefty]

Betakevan :lol

[Katherine Robinson]

His wife is alpha in the relationship I suppose.

[scanry]

There are alphas and there are betas, and sadly Durant is a Beta. He needs a big man who can post up and at the same time dish it out like what Shaq used to do in his Laker days.

[Venti Quattro]

There are alphas and there are betas, and sadly Durant is a Beta. He needs a big man who can post up and at the same time dish it out like what Shaq used to do in his Laker days.

World-like talent but with a beta-male attitude. What a tragedy

[Baseline]

"Like, for me, when I was coming in I was like 'If I miss a shot, I'm going to miss this shot in Game 6 of the Finals,'" he said in the report. Don't worry, KD...Game 6 is when the coach with a lead sits his Hall of Fame big when all he needs is one rebound for a title.

[LkrFan]

I'll gladly take him in LA tbh.

[TDMVPDPOY]

^^ beggin

[Venti Quattro]

I'll gladly take him in LA tbh.

Beto Duran
Beta Durant

Seems like a powerful combination, tbh

[Rogue]

Dude just becomes more mature imho. He used to be obsessed with winning and he no longer is, but we know he's always been a beta ever since his name became known. Obsession with winning ain't having nothing to do with the difference between beta and alpha imho.

[OKC]

So, KD is a "beta" and RW is the "alpha", according to people on this board, I'm assuming because despite KD being the 2nd best player in the world, he averaged 1 shot attempt less than Westbrook last year. My question to you is...why do you think that was the case? The answer isn't because RW wants the spotlight and KD refuses to demand the ball. The answer is because RW often times has no other choice. OKC is starting Kendrick Perkins and Thabo Sefolosha...one of those guys is a complete offensive liability and the other is far from an offensive threat. Serge Ibaka is a good offensive threat, but currently limited to midrange jumpers. It should be fairly obvious that without much versatility offensively, defenses have the luxury of not being forced to give a tremendous amount of defensive attention to half the players in an OKC uniform. So it stands to reason that Westbrook is often in a position where he must create the offense and is taking more attempts than he might otherwise take if he were surrounded by more formidable offensive players.

[Mugen]

He should be more obsessed with scrubbing his oily face every night before bedtime tbh.

[Clipper Nation]

So, KD is a "beta" and RW is the "alpha", according to people on this board, I'm assuming because despite KD being the 2nd best player in the world, he averaged 1 shot attempt less than Westbrook last year.
No, he's a beta because of his total reliance on Stern food stamps, the fact that he cries about :cry "being second place" :cry but then allows LeBron to take a wet shit on him when they play, and his new admission that he doesn't give a fuck about winning anymore.... his girl is more alpha than he is, tbh :lol

[resistanze]

http://blog.gremln.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Beta-Image.jpg

[OKC]

No, he's a beta because of his total reliance on Stern food stamps, the fact that he cries about :cry "being second place" :cry but then allows LeBron to take a wet shit on him when they play, and his new admission that he doesn't give a fuck about winning anymore.... his girl is more alpha than he is, tbh :lol

The only true way to be objective about a player and give a reliable opinion is to imagine that guy wearing your (ie Clipper) uniform. If you can picture him a Clipper and honestly feel the exact same way about him, then your opinion is what it is. I feel most people's opinions of a player take a 180 the second that player puts on their uniform, which is evidence of that fact that many fans are unable to form objective opinions most of the time.

[AchillesHeel]

So, KD is a "beta" and RW is the "alpha", according to people on this board, I'm assuming because despite KD being the 2nd best player in the world, he averaged 1 shot attempt less than Westbrook last year. My question to you is...why do you think that was the case? The answer isn't because RW wants the spotlight and KD refuses to demand the ball. The answer is because RW often times has no other choice. OKC is starting Kendrick Perkins and Thabo Sefolosha...one of those guys is a complete offensive liability and the other is far from an offensive threat. Serge Ibaka is a good offensive threat, but currently limited to midrange jumpers. It should be fairly obvious that without much versatility offensively, defenses have the luxury of not being forced to give a tremendous amount of defensive attention to half the players in an OKC uniform. So it stands to reason that Westbrook is often in a position where he must create the offense and is taking more attempts than he might otherwise take if he were surrounded by more formidable offensive players.

RWB holds the Finals scoring record for OKC, 43 points in a single game(KD didn't even score 40 during the entire playoff run that year), tbh.

Westbrook is the fucking alpha, people are on KD's nuts because he's the more efficient scorer at 6'10 or 6'11, going up against 6'7-6'9 guys, tbh.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orks2RIt5mg

You saw what happened to OKC when Russ went down, KD was garbage in the clutch against Memphis, if he came through in crunch time OKC could have easily taken it to 6-7 games or even made the Conf. Finals, the games were that close, but KD averaged 28.8 pts on 42% shooting in that series.

After Game 1 win, Memphis won 4 in a row, 3 of those games OKC lost by 6, last game they lost by 4, Skip out of all people took a dump on him, 4-22 in the clutch for the last 3 games? missing a wide open jumper with 5 to go on the home floor?:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik5FZ3mt8LY

[Clipper Nation]

The only true way to be objective about a player and give a reliable opinion is to imagine that guy wearing your (ie Clipper) uniform. If you can picture him a Clipper and honestly feel the exact same way about him, then your opinion is what it is. I feel most people's opinions of a player take a 180 the second that player puts on their uniform, which is evidence of that fact that many fans are unable to form objective opinions most of the time.
Durant being a beta has nothing to do with what uniform he wears, it's his words and actions, tbh....

[The Gemini Method]

Context seems funny...I'm sure he still wants to win but there is truth to what he is saying. The '10-'11 version of LeBron seemed too obsessed with winning and you can see it took him wayyyy beyond the comfort level you saw in the back-to-back years. Maybe getting married has tone it down to a point where his focus can learn to get his teammates into a more cohesive state.

[OKC]

RWB holds the Finals scoring record for OKC, 43 points in a single game(KD didn't even score 40 during the entire playoff run that year), tbh.

Westbrook is the fucking alpha, people are on KD's nuts because he's the more efficient scorer at 6'10 or 6'11, going up against 6'7-6'9 guys, tbh.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orks2RIt5mg

You saw what happened to OKC when Russ went down, KD was garbage in the clutch against Memphis, if he came through in crunch time OKC could have easily taken it to 6-7 games or even made the Conf. Finals, the games were that close, but KD averaged 28.8 pts on 42% shooting in that series.

After Game 1 win, Memphis won 4 in a row, 3 of those games OKC lost by 6, last game they lost by 4, Skip out of all people took a dump on him, 4-22 in the clutch for the last 3 games? missing a wide open jumper with 5 to go on the home floor?:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik5FZ3mt8LY

I guess my issue is the whole negative connotation people here imply with the "beta" term. RW is a better shot creator than Durant. It's not like KD is deferring to Reggie Jackson here. WEstbrook is about as good as it gets in creating offense. He has the ability to create clean looks at will more efficiently than KD. RW's game is far from perfect. Yeah he shoots himself in the foot some..he plays hero ball too often, etc, but I don't necessarily see the problem in Westbrook taking what's given to him. The issue is OKC lacks an offensive system. We saw when RW went down how badly that played out. Without a system, it was iso KD. That can get real old real quick. GIven the fact OKC is putting some offensive duds on the floor at times and defenses are hounding KD, like I said, it seems to reason Westbrook is going to take that lead role in creating offense.

[AchillesHeel]

I guess my issue is the whole negative connotation people here imply with the "beta" term. RW is a better shot creator than Durant. It's not like KD is deferring to Reggie Jackson here. WEstbrook is about as good as it gets in creating offense. He has the ability to create clean looks at will more efficiently than KD. RW's game is far from perfect. Yeah he shoots himself in the foot some..he plays hero ball too often, etc, but I don't necessarily see the problem in Westbrook taking what's given to him. The issue is OKC lacks an offensive system. We saw when RW went down how badly that played out. Without a system, it was iso KD. That can get real old real quick. GIven the fact OKC is putting some offensive duds on the floor at times and defenses are hounding KD, like I said, it seems to reason Westbrook is going to take that lead role in creating offense.

Westbrook is basically D.Rose. Their games are so similar, only that Westbrook is probably the better defender. I mean, OKC obviously missed Wesbrook, who is a top 5-10 NBA player in that series, but how the hell does Durant shoot that poorly? He can pull up from anywhere on the floor, he's basically a 7-footer with guard handles and an elite jump shot, he's impossible to defend, no matter who you put on him. He averaged 30 on above 50% shooting against Miami in the Finals. He's legit.

I guess I'm just surprised that he managed to fuck up 4 times in a row against Memphis. All of those games were close, OKC could have easily won in 6 had he came through.

I guess KD is the best player by stats, but mentally it seems like Russ is the actual leader. I know KD has a lot of potential and is considered the best player outside of Lebron, but that doesn't mean that he could lead a team to a title. Just a great stat guy, like Karl Malone, imo.

So, until KD proves that he can lead a team to a title, he'll be known as Russell's bitch, tbh.

[OKC]

Westbrook is basically D.Rose. Their games are so similar, only that Westbrook is probably the better defender. I mean, OKC obviously missed Wesbrook, who is a top 5-10 NBA player in that series, but how the hell does Durant shoot that poorly? He can pull up from anywhere on the floor, he's basically a 7-footer with guard handles and an elite jump shot, he's impossible to defend, no matter who you put on him. He averaged 30 on above 50% shooting against Miami in the Finals. He's legit.

I guess I'm just surprised that he managed to fuck up 4 times in a row against Memphis. All of those games were close, OKC could have easily won in 6 had he came through.

I guess KD is the best player by stats, but mentally it seems like Russ is the actual leader. I know KD has a lot of potential and is considered the best player outside of Lebron, but that doesn't mean that he could lead a team to a title. Just a great stat guy, like Karl Malone, imo.

So, until KD proves that he can lead a team to a title, he'll be known as Russell's bitch, tbh.

Well I see your point, but we're talking about a top 5-10 guy in the league in Westbrook and in terms of pure offense, SOME woudl even put WEstbrook at a 3-5 player. And he's the PG....I don't really disagree that he's the "leader" on offense. You're talking 2 different roles here and I don't know if it's fair to label one the alpha or one the leader, they are just different players in different roles. KD's not gonna beat Memphis over a 7 games series by himself....neither is WEstbrook, especially when Brooks runs the offense he does. You can't sustain that with only one offensive powerhouse on the floor. There just wasn't much offense around KD and it wore him down. Ibaka went cold, Martin completely died..Jackson was good, but I don't really pin that series on KD's inability to go into hero mode and beat MEmphis by his damn self over a 7 game series.

[Phillip]

"Like, for me, when I was coming in I was like 'If I miss a shot, I'm going to miss this shot in Game 6 of the Finals,'" he said in the report. Don't worry, KD...Game 6 is when the coach with a lead sits his Hall of Fame big when all he needs is one rebound for a title.

While I personally would have played Timmy, you can't fault Pop either. If he left Timmy in the game, and Miami ran a series of well executed screens that got Timmy switched onto Ray Allen, and Ray hits an open 3 to send it to OT because Timmy wasn't quick enough to stick with him, then people would have blown up all over Pop regardless. On the other hand, maybe even if Timmy is in the game, he would not have been in position to get the rebound from Bosh. And don't forget, Ray made a pretty difficult shot with a defender right on him. Sometimes, it's not about what your team did wrong, as opposed to the other team simply making an amazing play.

This is why gnsf are so annoying, they never want to give the other team credit for anything, only saying "oh they got lucky, they weren't that good, we screwed everything up on our end and thats the only reason they did anything to win a 7 game series against us".

[ElNono]

He should be more obsessed with scrubbing his oily face every night before bedtime tbh.

:rollin

[ElNono]

At which point does Scott Brooks just tells him to shut the fuck up and go play?

[baseline bum]

At which point does Scott Brooks just tells him to shut the fuck up and go play?

The day he wants to get fired?

[koriwhat]

if you're not obsessed with winning then maybe the game of basketball ain't for you kd

[Buddy Mignon]

Why does all of this come as a surprise to you girls? I told you years ago this dude was a role player looking for someone to lead him.

[Phillip]

if you're not obsessed with winning then maybe the game of basketball ain't for you kd

hows it goin calf tats?

[OKC]

I think the statement is being taken out of context by basically everyone here. Not being obsessed with winning isn't synonymous with losing any desire to win. I think with anything, whether it's basketball or just anything else in general, you can become overly obsessed with achieving a goal, to the point that it is actually counterproductive to what you're trying to achieve.

[OKC]

By definition, to be obsessed with something is actually not a positive thing, but rather abnormal. I think KD is simply saying he's not obsessing over winning in such a way that it becomes a hinderance.

[koriwhat]

hows it goin calf tats?

fuck you!

[Phillip]

fuck you!

yeah i got tats on my legs, yeah they're spurs and yeah they're on my calves... we've gone over this yrs ago and yet it's still being brought up like a bad joke. it's fuckin' old man and you think it gets to me when you say the bs you do? you think it gets to me especially coming from some chump off the internet? come on now man... i didn't get these tats because i thought i'd shrivel up into a ball and hide when someone put me down about my decision to tat my calves up with spurs, i got these tats because i wanted to, because i like them and because i could give 2 shits less about some bitchmade chump on the internet.

get over it man and add to this thread or get the fuck out already. come up with something clever or shut the fuck up and get out of my thread.