On the Warriors disastrous final possession in their 95-92 Game 4 Western Conference Finals loss to the Rockets, Kevin Durant passed up the chance to take the last shot by giving it up to Klay Thompson instead. The sequence concluded a fourth quarter where Durant didn’t make a basket in the final seven minutes, and didn’t take a shot in the final three.
Incredibly, the postgame narrative from the media called into question the Steve Kerr’s decision not to take a timeout on the final possession more than Durant’s disappearing act.
Today in The Herd, Colin pointed out that had LeBron not attempted a shot in the final 3 minutes and passed up a chance for the game winner he would be getting pilloried in the media for a week. Durant has gotten a complete pass. The double standard couldn’t be more obvious.
It’s been a trendy media opinion recently to claim that KD has surpassed LeBron as the best player in the NBA, but last night shows that he doesn’t face anywhere near the pressure and expectations that LeBron does on a nightly basis. It all comes with the territory of being the best player in the world.
“The gap between the best player in the world, LeBron, and the second best player in the world, Kevin Durant, isn’t all about basketball. It’s about the expectations and the pressures we put on the King.” — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/OhSICiHy3b
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 23, 2018