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Lebron James and Kevin Durant have met in three different sets of NBA finals in the past ten years. Their rivalry and combined dominance in the game has created one of the best stories in recent basketball memory, and with KD set to return with the chains next season, this may not be the end. But how did these two meet in the finals?
Looking at the careers of two stars in general, LeBron has defeated Durant in most areas – four of the two Durant championships, four MVPs on its own, more All Stars and All NBA predictions and more All Defense predictions (KD has never made All Defense predictions). Of course, some of these visits are facilitated by the fact that LeBron stays in the competition longer. The only remarkable place where Durant stands far ahead of LeBron are his credit ratings – four on James.
However, most of these facts are well documented. It is clear that LeBron has had a more prestigious and rewarding career, while Durant’s superstar is mainly due to his crazy ability to score points. But what about the fact that they met directly on the NBA’s biggest stage? How did the individual stars participate in the final round? Let’s get started.
Final NBA 2012: Miami Heath versus Oklahoma City Thunder
Lebron James v. Kevin Durant
Photo by Brian Terry, Oklahoma.
Lebron James: 28.6 BCP, 10.2 RPG, 7.4 BCP, 1.6 LNG, 0.4 GPO, 44.1 IPG, 47.2% fires
Kevin Durant: 30.6 BCP, 6.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.4 BCP, 1.0 BCP, 42.6 BCP, 54.8% shooting
The result: Thermal victory 4-1
The first confrontation between Lebron and Durant in the final phase was a battle of experiences as if nothing had happened. In Miami, a large group was formed at the peak, while the OKC was led by a young trio of Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden (from the bank). All three players will qualify for the MVP in their careers, but in 2012 it was still too early.
In most areas, Lebron defeated the KD. He averaged a doubling per episode with 7.4 extra passes and played more minutes than anyone else in both teams. The only domain Durant managed was, not surprisingly. On average, it scored only two points more than Lebron, but with a much better success rate and at the same time just under 40% of the three successes. In general, this is a respectable performance by Durant and Thunder, but it is not enough to prevent Lebron from claiming his first title.
2017 Final NBA: Cleveland Knights versus Golden State Warriors
Lebron James v. Kevin Durant
Credit : Getty Pictures
Lebron James: 33.6 BCP, 12.0 BCP, 10.0 BCP, 1.4 BCP, 1.0 BCP, 42.4 BCP, 56.4% shooting
Kevin Durant: 35.2 BCP, 8.2 RPG, 5.4 BCP, 1.0 BCP, 1.6 BCP, 39.7 BCP, 55.6% shots fired
The result: Warriors win 4 to 1.
The year 2017 seemed to be a breakthrough year in 2012 in many ways. It was then that Durant won the MVP final after a 4-1 victory. But for the rest, the two finals are very similar. LeBron was again successful in every respect, averaging three doubles for the game and over 33 points for shots over 56%. And as in 2012, Durant dominated the score.
But the 2017 championship was absurd, even for Durant. On average, he scored over 35 points in less than 40 minutes of play, making 47% of his triple landings and an astonishing 70% of his real shots. But that’s not all. The other issues of Durant, although generally inferior to those of James, were also excellent. He took eight blocks in a row and only 11 towers. James, on the other hand, has spun the ball 21 times.
Did Golden State have a better team? Absolutely. There was no debate on this issue, just as there was no debate for the entire 2016-17 season. But KD didn’t just give them the part they needed to win. In the final round he was by far the biggest player of this exceptional team, who won his first MVP in the final with his first ring.
2018 Final NBA: Cleveland Knights versus Golden State Warriors
Lebron James v. Kevin Durant
Lebron James: 34.0 BCP, 8.5 BCP, 10.0 BCP, 1.3 BCP, 1.0 BCP, 44.7 BCP, 52.7% shooting
Kevin Durant: 28.8 BCP, 10.8 RPG, 7.5 BCP, 0.8 BCP, 2.3 BCP, 41.3 BCP, 52.6 % shooting
The result: The Warriors win 4-0.
The NBA final of 2018 is somewhat more difficult, if only because it was clearly the least balanced Lebron/Durant match between three show games. Cleveland almost won the first game with 51 points from LeBron and 13 rebounds from Kevin Love, but the famous fall of J.R. Smith led to the massacre of the Warriors. Love played well throughout the series, but James didn’t have enough help to compete with Golden State, who swept the series in four parts.
The year 2018 was also very different for the two team stars. Compared to last year, Durant saw a decrease in the size and effectiveness of the points scored, but in almost every other area he performed significantly better, with an average doubles, 7.5 assists and more than two blocks per match. He qualifies for the MVP title in the final round for the second year in a row, this time for a better but no less brilliant performance.
LeBron’s shooting percentages were almost identical to Durant’s in the series, but he beat Reaper Slim for the first time in their recent games by 34 points per game. LeBron spent on average almost 45 minutes in a match – more than any other player on the field – but that wasn’t enough. James remained spectacular, but faced with such a bat, he couldn’t do everything.
Total
Lebron James: 5 victories, 31.9 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 9.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 43.7 MPG, 52.2% shooting.
Kevin Durant: 9 victories, 31.7 DCA, 8.1 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.1 LNG, 1.6 DCA, 41.2 DCA, 54.5% shooting
Overall, the statistics for LeBron and Durant in their three finals together are quite similar, but James’ performance is better than that of KD in general. The biggest difference is, as expected, the help of LeBron 9.1 during 4.9. He almost doubled their average score and just outperformed Durant – although this was largely due to Cleveland not being able to launch an offensive in 2018.
However, the winner is a confident leader with nine wins in fourteen games in favor of LeBron in five and two league championships in favor of LeBron in one. It’s impressive, of course, but it’s more the result of team fighting than of individual players. James’ time in Miami and Durant’s time with the Golden State are similar in many ways, but they met even more in the finals during Durant’s years of playing for the super team. The 2012 Heat vs. the 2017 Warriors game will unfortunately never be a success, but it will certainly last for centuries to come.
Now that the Lakers still seem to dominate the Western conference and the network may be combing the East, basketball fans may not have seen their last Lebron/Durant NBA final.
Next.
Lebron James versus Michael Jordan: Comparison of statistics and prices during the regular season and the play-offs
Comparison of complete players : Shakill O’Neill v. wilted Chamberlain (Decomposition)
The Battle of the Goats: Karim Abdul Jabbar vs Lebron James (career comparison)
Hakeem Olajuwon destroys Lebron James in the Goat debate: It’s not a fair comparison because Jordan is a much better player.
Comparison of complete players : Anthony Davis vs. Tim Duncan. (split)
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