"Shoutout to KD, the greatest scorer of his generation" - Nick Wright sarcastically points out the similarity in no. of high scoring games for both Kevin Durant and LeBron James
Following Kevin Durant's impressive 41-point performance to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a win on Tuesday, Nick Wright of First Things First drew comparisons to LeBron James in his comments about Durant's display.
Coming up with a much-needed win, the Nets saw their superstar go on a scoring tear to lead the offensive charge.
Durant is widely regarded as one of the greatest scorers in this generation of basketball players. However, Wright had a different opinion on the matter. Taking to Twitter to voice his opinion, he said:
"Shoutout to KD, the greatest scorer of his generation and I’m told possibly any generation, who now has 1 more 40 point games this season than LeBron has 50 point games this season."
Shoutout to KD, the greatest scorer of his generation and I’m told possibly any generation, who now has 1 more 40 point games this season than LeBron has 50 point games this season. 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
Unconvinced of the narrative surrounding Kevin Durant's scoring brilliance, Wright took an opposing stance on the matter. Nick Wright has often been seen defending and glorifying LeBron James. In this scenario, Wright refers to the narrative of LeBron being viewed as a "stat-padder" for his big scoring nights.
Unfortunately, the facts don't exactly support the claims.
Both LeBron James and Kevin Durant have notched the same number of 50 points (two games each) and 40 points games (one game each) this season.
In this regard, Wright's comments do a lot more to discredit Durant's achievements than defend LeBron's performances this season.
Kevin Durant tonight:
41 PTS
11 REB
5 AST
14-23 FG
4-6 3P https://t.co/5oB2jlRXa5
However, with two of the greatest putting on a show for the basketball world, it is difficult to ignore their individual greatness.
Will Kevin Durant and LeBron James meet in the NBA Finals?
Kevin Durant and LeBron James have put on a series of impressive displays of skill this season. Although both generational talents are in the final stages of their careers, it is hard to believe considering their performances.
Durant has been an absolute scoring machine this season as he notches an average of 29.5 points per game for the Brooklyn Nets. Although he missed a considerable amount of time with injury as well, the 33-year old continues to look dominant.
Meanwhile, LeBron James leads in the league in scoring in his 19th season with an average of 30.1 points per game. Having recently passed Karl Malone for second place in the NBA's All-Time Points Leaders list, James also became the second player to cross 37,000 career points this season.
LeBron James in his last 4 games:
37.8 PPG
9.5 RPG
7.5 APG
56% FG https://t.co/YYKOdLfs1Z
Unfortunately, while their individual achievements have been a sight to behold, the season has been anything but kind to the superstars.
While the LA Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets were viewed as title-contenders at the start of the season, the drop-off since them has been massive.
With the Nets fighting for a spot in the Play-In tournament and the Lakers falling to eleventh in the West, both sides have had a rather disappointing season.
Given the current placement, it seems unlikely that fans will see another Kevin Durant-LeBron James matchup in the finals.
The two have faced each other several times over the course of the previous decade. However, with the curtain coming down on LeBron's long and brilliant career, this season may have been the last shot at seeing this matchup.