Durant's dominant Finals cements him as number one contender for LeBron's throne
When Kevin Durant revealed that his "next chapter" would be with the Golden State Warriors, the entire NBA knew what it meant.
The Warriors, already the most dominant team of the previous two seasons having followed up a title-winning campaign with a record-breaking 73-9 performance in 2015-16, only to squander a 3-1 lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers, added a superstar to a talent-laden roster, leaving them as the prohibitive favourite in the league for 2016-17 and 2017-18 at the very least.
Nobody in the league was under any illusions as to the challenge the Warriors would present the other 29 teams and the title they regained with the completion of a 4-1 series win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday was widely anticipated.
But few will have foreseen just how dominant Durant has become, particularly in a postseason campaign that saw the Warriors narrowly miss out on becoming the first team to go unbeaten throughout the playoffs.
Durant returned from an MCL sprain and tibial bone bruising suffered in March late in the season and, though he missed a couple of games of the Warriors' first-round sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers, the eight-time All-Star forward did not appear to have lost a step.
He was sensational in the sweeps of the Utah Jazz and the San Antonio Spurs, but it is in the emphatic revenge the Warriors have inflicted on a Cavaliers team that had lost just one playoff game going into the Finals where his form has been most startling.
Kevin Durant scored 176 points in the series (35.2 PPG), the 2nd highest total ever in a 5-game series (Allen Iverson, 178 points, 2001). pic.twitter.com/z8hurExxCT
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) June 13, 2017
Spending much of his time matched up against LeBron James, Durant has relished his moment, his stunning combination of length and athleticism making him nigh on impossible for the Cavaliers to defend and helping him win Finals MVP.
Of course Durant has benefited from the extra space afforded to him as a result of playing with two-time MVP Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
For much of the Finals, the Cavaliers have appeared rightly terrified of the perimeter shooting offered by Thompson and particularly Curry, whose magnificent form in the playoffs has been that of a man looking to banish the memory of an underwhelming game seven showing from last year, allowing Durant to feast on Cleveland in the paint.
However, what has been most impressive about how Durant has performed in the Finals has been his demeanour on court. Rather than shrinking under the pressure of trying to claim his first title playing on a heavily favoured team, Durant has risen to the occasion with an outward calm, topping 30 points in every game of the series.
In no way was this greater exemplified than by his decisive three-pointer in game three that effectively killed off the series. With time ticking down Durant sauntered up to the arc and hoisted the shot that put the Warriors up for good over LeBron, as they moved into a 3-0 lead with a 118-13 triumph.
And, with James and Kyrie Irving doing all they could to extend the series, it was Durant who put the Warriors on his back again late in game five - totalling 39 points in another outstanding show of his offensive brilliance.
His play has been just as impressive on the other end, Durant has bought into the Warriors' philosophy of tireless defence and has used his natural size advantage to pull off some spectacular blocks on James and Co.
Another great battle, @cavs. #Respect pic.twitter.com/fjrAM4719V
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) June 13, 2017
James, to his immense credit, has again been sensational in the Finals, averaging a triple-double on limited rest and encapsulating why many have LeBron in the same realm as Michael Jordan.
Yet when it has mattered most he has been outplayed by Durant and, while the NBA is still considered LeBron's league, he now has a very imposing challenger.
As the focal point of one of the greatest teams ever assembled, Durant has the opportunity to take over from LeBron, who appears unlikely to be able to compete with Golden State with the Cavaliers not in a position to add a player who can redress the balance.
There is already talk of LeBron moving out west in 2018 to challenge the Warriors in their conference.
But, by the time that may come to pass, there is every chance KD will have another title under his belt and the consensus may soon be that the NBA belongs to Durant and not LeBron.