The 21-year-old Kevin Durant is on his way to becoming the youngest scoring champion in NBA history, as he has averaged 30.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.0 blocks.  The case can definitely be made for Durant being this year’s MVP, and if not for that guy named LeBron in Cleveland he probably would have been.  Durant has led a young and inexperience Thunder team to the Western Conference Playoffs, which is not an easy task to do in the loaded Western Conference.  With a 49-32 record, the Thunder have the eighth seed and will be facing the Los Angeles Lakers.  The Thunder will be finishing up the 2009-’10 season against the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow night, so they will likely get their 50th win of the year.  Usually when you win 50 games, you end up with a better seed than the eight spot, but this year’s Western Conference is stacked.  Durant and the Thunder can’t worry about that though, and they need to be ready to face the defending champion Lakers.  If the Thunder want to stand a chance against the Lakers, they will need Durant to carry them.  Although the Lakers are heavy favorites, Durant has the ability to put the Thunder on his back and lead them to victory with his great scoring ability.  It should be a very exciting series with high-scoring Durant going up against one of the best pure scorers ever in Kobe Bryant.  Even if Durant and the Thunder get swept, it doesn’t take anything away from their great season.  Durant has solidified himself as a star in this league and expect him to get a few MVP awards in his future.

Russell Westbrook has a great combination of size, strength, and athleticism for a point guard and he has been using all of that to put together a great sophomore season for the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Westbrook is a great sidekick for Kevin Durant, who has turned into an MVP caliber player himself.  Although Westbrook doesn’t get the same recognition guys like Chris Paul, Derron Williams, or other up-and-coming point guards like Derrick Rose get, he is turning into one of the top point guards in the NBA.  This season he is averaging 16.7 points, 7.9 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals.  He still needs to work on being a more consistent shooter, since he is hitting only 42% from the field and 25% from three.  He has solid touch and a good release on his shot though, so I see him developing into a good outside shooter as his career progresses.  Right now though, he has the quickness, strength, and athletic ability to go without a great outside shot.  He can get to the basket with ease and he does a great job of finding the open man.  The Thunder are now 39-24 on the season and they have won 15 of their last 18 games.  Kevin Durant is their main guy and is a big reason why they have been so much better this season, but without Westbrook the Thunder would not be this good.  With Durant, Westbrook, and a slew of other young talented players, Thunder fans have a lot to look forward to not only this postseason, but for years to come.

Leading up to last night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant had gone 29 straight games scoring 25 or more points.  Durant had 17 points at halftime, and it looked like he was going to extend his impressive scoring streak to 30 games.  The Spurs’ pesky Manu Ginobli came out in the second half and played some tough defense on Durant, including an impressive block on a two-handed, fast break dunk Durant attempted late in the 4th quarter.  That block was a key play in the game, and it took all of the momentum from the Thunder, who ended up losing 95-87.  Durant went scoreless in the final quarter and his long scoring streak came to an end.  He finished the game with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.  The streak is a franchise record and the third longest streak of 25+ points by a forward in NBA history.  It is also the longest streak since Michael Jordan’s 40 game streak in 1986-87.  During the 29-game streak, the Thunder went 20-9 and Durant shot 51% from the field and averaged 32.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks.  This was a really impressive streak that Durant had going, especially when you consider the fact that he is only 21-years-old and it is only his third year in the NBA.

Kevin Durant has been impressive in the NBA ever since he stepped on to the court as a rookie two seasons ago, but he has taken his game to another level this season.  Durant is currently the leading scorer in the NBA, averaging 29.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.9 blocks, while shooting 48% from the field and 39% from three.  Durant is also on a very impressive scoring streak, scoring 25+ points in 29 consecutive games.  It is the second longest streak in 35 years, with Michael Jordan the only player to have a longer streak of games with 25+ points (40) in the 1986-87 season.  Durant is not only putting up some great individual stats but he is also leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a lot of victories.  Their record is at 33-22, which is currently the 6th best record in a loaded Western Conference and only 3.5 games back of their division lead.  Considering the Thunder went 23-59 last season, it shows they are one of the most improved teams in the league and Durant is the main reason why.  The Thunder had one 9 straight games before losing 104-102 last night against the Suns, where Durant put up 36 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.  Durant has put himself up at the “elite” status in the NBA this season, amongst guys like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony.

Jeff Green has been having a decent season for the Oklahoma City Thunder this year, but he has struggled with his outside shot.  After shooting a career high 45% from the field and 39% from three last season, he is only hitting 43% from the field and an ice-cold 29% from three-point land.  Green is an active and athletic player, and is averaging 14.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.0 steals.  His point-per-game average is down 2.5 points from last season though, and his poor outside shooting is the reason why.  Green does a lot of things well for the Thunder and is third on the team in scoring (behind Durant and Westbrook), but if he could find some more consistency with his outside shot it will help spread the defense and make things a lot easier for Kevin Durant.  Durant often has to put so much of the scoring burden on himself, and if he has an off night the Thunder are almost guaranteed to lose.  If he could just get a little more help from guys like Green it could help the Thunder take the next step and get themselves into the playoffs.