VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, FRANCE — If ever there was a play that ought to make Kevin Durant’s basketball soul smile, and which completely captured his peerless legacy throughout the Group USA nationwide program, it was that factor of magnificence on the finish of the primary half of their Olympic pool play blowout in opposition to Serbia on Sunday.
Steve Kerr, the Golden State Warriors coach whose imperfect marriage with Durant just a few years again yielded two titles and no scarcity of tense occasions, drew up the set that they’d by no means run earlier than throughout the break that came about with simply three seconds left. Steph Curry, his former Warriors working mate whose shadow was so unimaginable to keep away from throughout their time collectively from 2016 to 2019, set the display screen on the baseline that broke Durant free on the appropriate aspect. And LeBron James, the guy nice with whom Durant spent a lot of his profession being impossibly in comparison with, fired the right cross from the appropriate sideline that sparked the traditional KD second.
Catch. Flip. Falling jumper with the classic leg kick. Bucket and a nine-point lead on the break.
It was simply one among his eight pictures that fell in an excellent 23-point efficiency, one which took him fewer than 17 minutes within the People’ 110-84 win and included only one late and irrelevant miss from the sphere that spoiled his near-perfect night time, but it surely was the prettiest and most layered of all of them. Particularly contemplating the uncertainty that surrounded him coming in.
It had been virtually three months since Durant final performed in an actual recreation, with the calf harm that stored him out of coaching camp and 5 “pleasant” video games taking every week longer than anticipated to heal and Kerr deciding to convey him off the bench in his debut, and right here was this system’s all-time main scorer and four-time gold medalist (three within the Olympics) reminding everybody that he’s the GOAT in these elements. Higher but, those with whom he shares a lot sophisticated historical past in NBA circles had been seemingly ecstatic to help and serve his skills within the title of USAB success. And make no mistake: Durant has no friends on this place.
Given how sophisticated the dialogue about Durant all the time tends to be, there’s one thing wildly refreshing about seeing him in an area the place the talk about his place on this program is so easy. He’s USAB’s all-time main scorer. He’s the one who already has three Olympic gold medals and might change into the one American males’s basketball participant to win 4 if Group USA will get the job completed right here. He’s the one who has been so loyal — sure, loyal — to this operation by selecting to play within the final 4 Olympics whereas profitable gold each time he has signed up (together with the 2010 FIBA World Cup).
By way of USAB legacy, nobody compares. And the very best half, the factor that makes you admire the spirit with which this group goes about its enterprise, is that everybody who’s a part of this appears to realize it. James included.
However this newest USAB reminiscence was particular in its personal proper, as Kerr’s choice to convey Durant off the bench might have precipitated Durant to really feel some kind of means heading into his return. As a substitute, with Kerr beginning James, Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Vacation and Joel Embiid, Durant informed Kerr earlier than the sport that he was there to serve in no matter function was deemed needed. After which, true to his phrase, he proceeded to save lots of the People after a tough begin in opposition to this Nikola Jokić-led Serbia crew that’s thought-about a medal contender after taking silver in final 12 months’s FIBA World Cup.
Group USA was down 19-14 when Durant entered for the primary time with 2:33 left within the first quarter, and he waited all of 14 seconds earlier than burying a 3-pointer. He hit one other 3 fewer than two minutes later, all a part of a 23-10 end to the quarter after Serbia led 10-2 early. He poured it on within the second quarter, ending with 21 of his 23 factors at halftime.
“I’ve (come off the bench) a few occasions within the NBA — thrice,” Durant mentioned. “That’s sufficient for me to simply form of lean on these occasions. , that’s what I considered as I used to be coming in, simply staying prepared mentally, staying centered on what the sport plan is. And after I are available in, don’t make the sport about myself. Attempt to add to the crew. And tonight I used to be in a position to (do this).”
“I informed Coach (Kerr), no matter he wants from me, I’m prepared to do something and adapt to something. So it’s all the time been enjoyable attempting to determine new roles and simply adapt to regardless of the recreation tells you to do.”
Lest anybody forgot, Kerr had spent a major period of time lately publicly expressing disappointment in Group USA’s play.
“It’s time,” he had declared final week.
Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards mixed for 34 factors in Group USA’s blowout win over Serbia on Sunday of their first Olympic recreation. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Photographs)
All of it turned a lot simpler, although, with the prepared and ready Durant there to show the tide.
No matter what comes subsequent, it’s fairly a factor that Kerr left open the potential of Durant turning into an excellent Sixth Man for this loaded squad going ahead. He was given a number of probabilities to knock that concept down afterward, however opted in opposition to it.
“I imply, we’re simply taking it one step at a time,” mentioned Kerr, whose crew performs South Sudan in a second pool play recreation on Wednesday. “Clearly, he was nice tonight. We wished to restrict his minutes and simply ease him again in. And I eased him in, (however) he didn’t ease himself again in. He was good.”
When requested once more in regards to the prospect of Durant persevering with to come back off the bench, Kerr demurred.
“I don’t know; I don’t know,” he mentioned. “Yeah, we’ll see.”
But after the Durant efficiency they’d all simply seen, that query didn’t want a solution simply but. This, it appeared, was a time for all of them to marvel on the man whose USAB resume continues to develop.
“He’s so used to the stage,” mentioned Curry, who’s taking part in in his first Olympics. “He’s the all-time main scorer in USAB historical past for a motive, so it was nice to see.”
Added James, who’s taking part in in his fourth Olympics (two gold and one bronze beforehand) and his first since 2012 in London: “KD was phenomenal … In the event you watch him in follow, the whole lot that he does in follow is recreation pace, so it’s no shock that he comes out and will get proper to it. However it’s nice to have him in your aspect. … On the finish of the day, you’re not stunned. I imply, he’s simply an out-of-this-world expertise.”
And Kerr, who’s in his first Olympics as Group USA’s head coach: “(Durant) simply regarded like he was in midseason kind, however after not taking part in in an actual basketball recreation for a few months — fairly unbelievable.”
Identical to all of them drew it up.
GO DEEPER
Dream Group dreaming: How nice can this U.S. males’s basketball crew nonetheless be?
(High photograph of Kevin Durant: Gregory Shamus / Getty Photographs)
