pro Photographs by greg nelson Kicking It Up a Notch Showing he’s more than a scoring machine, has the young Thunder rolling toward the playoffs| By chris ballard

n most mornings Kevin Durant, the best NBA player most people never get to see, drives his extralong con- version van 10 minutes from his house in the suburbs of to the Thunder’s practice facility, which if not technically in the middle of nowhere is at least on its outskirts. He passes sagging lines and idle oil derricks and vast fields of brittle yellow grass pocked with snow before turning onto a two-lane road and, just past the John Deere Ofactory, pulling into the parking lot of the practice , a converted roller rink. Unfolding his 6' 9" frame from the van, Durant ambles past the odd rabbit lounging in the shrubbery and enters the gym for another day of work, all the while engulfed by the scent of . . . well, what is that exactly? “Dog food,” says Durant. “And it stinks, man; it really stinks.” As it turns out, there is a hulking Purina plant just down the road, churning out untold tons of pet chow weekly, but Durant takes the, um, ambience in stride, just as he does many other not- so-glamorous elements of playing in the smallest market in the NBA. These include the weather (cold), the nightlife (hello, Denny’s!) and the TV exposure (two national appearances this season, or 27 fewer than the Cavaliers), all of which are supposed to be of great importance to NBA players, who are commonly talking points envisioned as a flock of 7-foot homing pigeons all hatched in Durant had scored 30 or the same sweaty South Beach nightclub. But Durant claims more in 12 of his last 14 games through Sunday, not to mind. He says that he “loves it here,” and once you forcing opponents to spend some time around him, it becomes clear that he is not alter defensive tactics.

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only sincere but also talking as much about The Spurs’ scheme worked for about eet , the Thunder gen- inside man He would run Durant the franchise as the city itself. three quarters. Durant shot mainly con- eral manager. At 32, his ­résumé In addition to through all manner of improving his D, This is not to say that the jokes don’t tested jumpers, many of which rimmed out M includes: four-year career as a Durant is taking drills, including defen- get old. Like last week, when Durant and in agonizing fashion, and at one was scrappy guard at Emerson College (he once the ball to sive slides and grueling the hole more a few teammates were at a mall in 7 for 19 from the field. A year ago—even took six charges in one game), Rhodes scholar aggressively. hill sprints, all of which— and a man walked up to the group, which two months ago, he says—he would have nominee, seven years working his way up the from the perspective of a was outfitted in matching gray Thunder stopped shooting. “But I learned that’s not Spurs’ organization to assistant G.M. and 10-year-old—really sucked. But one in par- sweat suits, and said, “Oklahoma City—is the remedy,” Durant says. “I knew I had now three at the helm of the Oklahoma City ticular stood out in that regard: let’s call it that a semipro team?” and then started to be aggressive for us to win.” So he kept franchise, where he remains the youngest The Frozen Shot of Death. Brown would giggling. Last year, when the Thunder launching jumpers, focusing on releasing the G.M. in the league by a wide margin. From order the spindly Durant to lie on his back began a Nets-like 3–29, such a crack would ball before the defense closed, and eventu- an office next to the practice court—where with a pillow under his head and hold up a have at least made sense. This year, how- ally he began sinking them, finishing with he sits hunched over a laptop surrounded medicine ball as if about to shoot it, elbow ever, it merely betrayed ignorance, for the 35 points on 14-for-31 shooting in a tough by an iPod dock, a whiteboard with a color- cocked. “I was supposed to hold it there for Thunder are not only respectable but also overtime loss. To give you an idea of how coded list of every player in the league and an hour,” remembers Durant. “An hour!” The on the verge of being downright good. uncommonly common this output was for a stack of books that includes biographies first thing to go would be his right shoulder, Despite a nine-man of Harry Truman and The­ which graduated from searing pain into a better days rotation that could Through its lonious Monk—Presti has throbbing if welcome numbness. Helping sup- be described as the first 40 games modeled the Thunder after port the ball with his left hand didn’t help, March Madness Trav- Oklahoma City his old employer. San Anto- “because then that one started to hurt too.” It already had eling All-Stars (aver- 22 victories— nio’s strategy over the last was the only one of Brown’s drills that Durant age age 23) Oklahoma­ just one short of decade-plus, greatly simpli- ever walked out on in their six fun-free years City finished the week the team’s total fied, was to assemble com- together. Even so, two hours after leaving, in 2008–09. with a 22–18 record, plementary pieces around Durant returned, wordlessly, and picked that just behind eighth-place Houston in the one lynchpin player (Tim ball back up. “I was never sure what that drill ultracompetitive Western Conference. Duncan) and a couple of was for,” says Durant, “but I know it’s those This has led to a natural curiosity about very good ones (most recent- types of drills that made me who I am today.” the team and especially the 21-year-old ly Manu Ginóbili and Tony Indeed, 10 years later Durant still eagerly ­Durant, who heretofore was known pri- Parker), then win with de- wants to please, a trait not commonly found marily for two things: being the national fense, discipline and smarts. in 29-point-a-game scorers. “You can tell college player of the year as a freshman (at Since taking over, Pres- him, ‘O.K., Kevin, we’re going to do 20 push- Texas) and scoring a ton of points for a bad ti has drafted a core of ups between shots,’ ” says Thunder coach NBA team (first the Sonics and then, after young talent—in addition Scott Brooks. “And he does it! He does it!” the team moved in 2008, the Thunder). The to ­Durant, there is point Assistant coach describes how latter leads to pejorative labels, whether guard , Durant is constantly asking for feedback, deserved or not: Gunner, Guy Who Gets even during games. And Idan Ravin, a trainer His, Volume Shooter. These days, however, who works with many NBA players, says he Durant is scoring a ton of points for a win- The Thunder’s rotation purposely set his first workout with Durant ning team, and that is regarded as a differ- at an awkward time and place just to see how ent thing entirely. Players who do that are (average age 23) could be Durant would respond. He got there 20 min- tagged All-Star and Franchise Player and utes before Ravin. “It’s important to make a have names like Kobe and Carmelo and described as the March good first impression,” says Durant. D-Wade and Dirk. This is not, as Brooks stresses, “just While Durant has not reached their level Madness Traveling All-Stars. putting on a show,” either. Durant takes just yet, there are nights when he comes the first bus to the arena on game days. pretty damn close. Take last week against Durant, consider that through Sunday he forward and James help up a fallen teammate, a player’s hands “He goes and dunks or knocks down the He arrives an hour early for practices and San Antonio, one of the better defensive had more games of 30 points this season ­Harden—and surrounded it with high-char- grasping his shorts from exhaustion. jumper like, That’s what I’m supposed to stays two hours after. When he was in high teams in the league. The Spurs’ game plan, (22) than not (18), while averaging 29.1 (third acter, high-energy specialists such as forward The piece that holds it all together is do, I’ve done it before and I’m going to keep school, he spent so much time carrying in the words of one assistant, was to “double- in the league). His consistency has not gone and , a versatile Durant, who is Presti’s . And doing it. That’s what Duncan does. And in around a basketball that his friends used team the s--- out of Durant.” San Antonio unnoticed. “The most difficult thing to do in 6' 7" guard he pried away from the Bulls last while Durant is most often compared with that sense they’re very, very similar.” to tease him because his T-shirts—always also fronted him and jumped screens and this league is to carry a team every night, es- season who is being mentioned as a potential Tracy McGrady in terms of size and abil- white, always baggy—had a mosaic of ball sent help defenders from the baseline rather pecially a team that is winning,” says Spurs Defensive Player of the Year. From the top ity to handle the ball, he may have more in urant grew up in Suitland, Md., a prints on them. “I’ve been around the than the top of the , a flurry of activity coach Gregg Popovich. “You can count the down Presti stresses a culture of humility common with the Spurs center. Both are half hour outside Washington, D.C., league a long time and seen a lot of guys,” generally reserved for the Kobes of the world. guys who can do that on one hand. Durant and hard work and incremental gains, and team players, both shy away from the spot- D with his mother, Wanda, a postal says Thunder reserve guard , This came on the heels of a game, earlier in is right below those guys right now, and the he likes to use words like sustainability. The light and both are quietly confident. “You worker, and his father, Wayne, a police officer. who, in fact, has played on 13 teams. “And the week, when the Knicks broke out that only reason is because he’s young.” franchise ethos, which the players buy into, never see Durant pumping his chest, for the When he was 10, Kevin began working out he’s the most prepared guy I’ve seen.” old high school staple, the box-and-one, to If this sounds like the type of player you is apparent at the practice facility, where the most part, or pointing at people, or saying, with a rec-center coach, a tough-love type Of course, there are plenty of NBA play- defend Durant. (“Never seen that in this might want to construct a franchise around, posters are not of players but of ideals: the ‘Look at me, look at what I named Taras Brown, whom ers who work hard, but few if any have the league,” he says, shaking his head.) well, you are not alone. arm of one Thunder player reaching down to just did,’ ” says Popovich. Now on SI.com everybody called Stink. combination of Durant’s talents and his Check out Ian Thomsen’s Weekly Countdown at 48 | Sports IllustrateD | january 25, 2010 SI.com/nba january 25, 2010 | Sports IllustrateD | 49

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abilities as a scorer continue to does, he at least tries to recover) and is get- guard ). Bring up these issues (“One time I had a terrible game, and I came someone with that much talent and ability, “[Durant’s] not evolve. Compared with 2008–09, ting better on rotations and helpside D. It with Thunder personnel, and inevitably home and watched Dennis the Menace,” he a guy who’s been on the cover of magazines according to detailed statistics shows in the numbers. Whereas last sea- they will remind you that Durant is only says. “I felt really good after that, ready to since he was 18, but all he wants to do is play trying to rule from HoopData.com, he’s finish- son Oklahoma City was a drastically worse 21. And indeed this fact can be easy to for- get back to the gym.”) A young man who basket­ball and hang out. He’s not trying to ing a higher percentage of shots at defensive team when Durant was in the get when watching him on the court or in still calls Wanda “Mommy” (that’s her rule the world or become a global marketing the rim (74.0% to 68.0%), complet- game—the Thunder allowed 8.2 points more interviews, when he comes across as savvy photo on his page, kissing him on icon—he just wants to play ball.” the world or ing more and-ones (3.3% to 2.8%) per 100 possessions when he was on the and humble: I can’t thank my teammates the cheek), who loves a Jenga smackdown What an unusual concept: just wanting and getting fewer shots blocked floor versus off—this season he is having the enough for getting me easy shots. . . . I think and whose idea of a good time is heading to to play ball. It might even explain why a become a global (4.2% to 4.8%), all of which are a opposite effect: The team allows 3.7 fewer Thabo is one of the top three defenders in the the mall with similarly minded teammates talented young man would enjoy living in testament to his improved abil- points with Durant in the lineup. game. . . . The key to that win was Jeff Green to check out girls and eat at the Cheesecake a city where the fans are smitten with their icon,” says ity to attack the basket. He’s also because he causes so many matchup problems. Factory (sample tweet from an outing last pro hoops team, there are few distractions shooting a much higher percent- till, at both ends of the floor ­Durant Of course, this only serves to make week, posted by Green: “I got these ribs and everyone associated with the team, Collison. “He age on midrange jumpers—46.3% remains a work in progress. He gets ­Durant’s relative immaturity off the court and carrots and baked potato and a Arnold from the G.M. to the coach to the players, to 35.0%—attributable to practice S pushed out of position too easily all the more startling, and at times endear- Palmer. . .can u say BOMB.COM”). can’t wait to get inside the practice facility just wants to and Brooks’s offense, which relies when posting up, can lack a killer instinct ing. Here is a young man who, when he “There’s nothing fake about Kevin; he is every morning. heavily on pin downs and curls to and commits far too many turnovers (4.0 per needs to decompress at home, turns off all who he is,” says Collison, a relatively griz- And not just because they want to escape play ball.” free Durant for free-throw-line game at week’s end, second only to Warriors the lights and watches children’s movies. zled veteran at 29. “It’s kind of refreshing, the smell of dog food. ± jumpers. (“My sweet spot,” he says.) And, counterintuitively, he is scoring on fewer assisted bas- kets than last season, a difference the second pick because 1) they already had Brooks attributes to Durant’s get- Whole and 2) dynasties are built from ting out more in transition, where the inside out. This time around the front office he can employ the Eurostep (a decided that Durant and the incumbent power fake-one-way-go-the-other, open- Lotto forward, ­LaMarcus Aldridge, were too similar, court move that’s all the rage on while Oden would provide the franchise center the Continent), which he picked up Trouble needed to contend. in the off-season. (Interestingly, he The point of rehashing that story isn’t to modeled it not on an actual Euro­ Welcome to the NBA make Blazers fans cringe. If anything, it’s to pean, but on Sacramento rookie lottery, where the sympathize. Portland’s front office was forced .) Watch Durant and to make a difficult choice. Winning the lottery— you’ll notice that he’s added other, only thing better than as opposed to picking second—arguably did the veteran ploys, such as bringing winning is not winning Blazers more harm than good. Their decision laughing all the way the ball up through a defender’s made for them, the Sonics (who owned the sec- Westbrook (left) and Durant, the NBA’s third-highest arm to draw a shooting foul, à la By bethlehem shoals ond pick) got off with minimal angst and ended scoring duo, have bought into G.M. Presti’s team ideals. Duncan and , and up with the future superstar, to boot. unique physique. From his armpit to the emphasizing contact to get to the line. (After ast week, erstwhile Cavs coach Last summer the Clippers were supposed to kneecapped tip of his middle finger, Durant’s arms are one successful such instance against Dallas and well-known NBA life coach John Oden (left) fractured his left have it as easy as the Cavs in 2003. Griffin was a 36 inches long. This may not sound that last week, Mavs guard turned Lucas spilled the beans. Big time. patella six weeks after fellow polished, explosive power forward in a class full impressive until you consider that the aver- to the bench and sarcastically announced, Lucas, who began the 2002–03 sea- first overall Griffin suffered the of midgets, the kind of player who’s in especially L same season-ending injury. age broomstick is 38 inches. “Congratulations, meet !”) son on the Cleveland bench before being fired in short supply these days. Sure, three other teams Durant’s reach is unusual even among Defense, however, has been another mat- the wake of an 8–34 start, told AOL FanHouse kind of the oversized check of basketball play- the second top pick in three years to spend his passed on Tyreke Evans, and eight passed on outsized professional athletes, and it can ter. Durant admits that when he got out of that he had been hamstrung by a front office ers. In most years the NBA’s version of the lot- rookie season in street clothes, following Greg . And for all we know, Griffin make him an awkward sight. Whereas most position in the past, it was because “either I that was trying to lose to improve the team’s tery is nearly as twisted as that in The Lottery, Oden in 2007. (Oden is most likely out for the might still end up being better than either of players raise the ball from their thigh on a didn’t know the schemes or was being lazy.” draft lottery odds. “They trade all our guys the Shirley Jackson short story that’s a staple rest of this year as well after he broke his left them. But for now, this is what it comes down , Durant begins below his knees. This season, however, he came to camp de- away and we go real young, and the goal was of high school English reading lists. In that tale kneecap. Just who’s throwing stones at these to: The Clippers ended up selecting a guy who When he dribbles, he appears to be reach- termined, as he says, “to let my defense lead to get LeBron and also to sell the team,” Lucas the lottery winner gets stoned to death by the guys, anyway?) gave them zero points as a ­rookie. The injury ing down to pet a small dog, so low is the to my offense.” The addition to the coaching said. Then again, he added, “you can’t fault the townspeople to ensure a good harvest. In the The 2007 draft is a perfect illustration of was an act of God and not their fault—even if ball, yet he is able to do so without bending staff of Adams, a defensive specialist, midway Cavaliers for wanting to get LeBron.” NBA the “winner” gets the chance to misjudge how fraught having the top pick can be. Nei- Phil Jackson is right and Los Angeles owner much at the waist or crouching. But while through last season helped in this respect, No, John, you certainly can’t. Cleveland had ) who the best player is, draft Michael Olowo- ther Oden nor Kevin Durant emerged as the Donald Sterling has more than a little bad oden

his wingspan has hindered his ability to though not necessarily for the reason one been in a funk for years. Mired in a dead-end ( kandi and then spend years catching hell for it. clear-cut favorite before the lottery. When karma coming his way. That almost doesn’t find suit jackets and gain strength—even might think. “Ron doesn’t teach me schemes exis­tence with little hope of improving its lot, Even when there’s a consensus about who the Blazers won it, they ended up with all the matter, though. The Clippers had ­options—the mages though he lifts daily, he says “for all those or how to guard people,” says Durant. “He the team needed destiny to intervene, and it did y I should go No. 1, that doesn’t mean some- weight of the basketball universe on their ultimate freedom of choice, ­really—and they ett who want to know, I still can’t bench 185 just gets on me and makes me feel bad.” when the Cavs—who finished with the league’s thing won’t go wrong. Oklahoma’s Blake shoulders, torn between the prized building ended up with a disappointment.

pounds”—it provides a wonderful array of Whatever the motivation, Durant has worst record—won the lottery. /NBAE/G Griffin, who was the toast of last summer’s and a singular talent whose natural posi­ And they’re the winners? uses on a basketball court. gone from being a bad defender to an above- But 2003 was one of those rare years in draft class and was taken first overall by the tion was up for debate. History, it turns out, encich r Most of them, however, have been em- ­average one. He leads the team in steals, which that was unequivocally a good thing. o Clippers, announced last week he’ll miss the does have a sense of humor; in 1984 the Blaz- Bethlehem Shoals writes for AOL Fanhouse and F am

ployed on the offensive end as Durant’s bites on fewer pump-fakes (and when he The prize was obvious: LeBron James, who is S ­entire season with a broken left kneecap. He’s ers took over Michael Jordan with FreeDarko.com, which he founded.

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