Bob's Drunk and In Love OpEd

 LeBron vs KD

  Why am I continuously reading articles about how Kevin Durant has passed up LeBron James, or how it's KD's league and LeBron needs to move over? Am I missing something? Do we really think Durant has become better than one of the top 6 players of all time? Is Durant even better than the Kobe we saw from the early nineties? 

  Don't get me wrong, I love watching Kevin Durant play basketball. Do I think he's a great player? Absolutely! Top 25 all-time already? No doubt. Better than LeBron? Not even a conversation worth having. Sure Durant has had a better half of the season and his offensive game is the best currently in the league. When you play basketball though there is an entire other component to being a great player, defense! LeBron is an incredible defensive player, not good or great even, but incredible. He can guard everyone in the league, from centers to point guards. Look at what he did to Derek Rose the year Rose was named MVP! 

  More recently, remember the series defining block he had on Tiago Splitter in last years finals?? Durant is a solid defender, who has been continually improving on that side of the ball, but do we really ever see KD getting to the LeBron level of shutting people down or being able to guard positions 1-5? If Durant would have contested that Tiago Splitter dunk attempt, he either would have broke his arm or ended up on a poster hanging in some 12 year olds bedroom.

  I could spend another 25 paragraphs talking about how LeBron's passing is exponentially better than KD's, but I feel like this argument begins and ends with defense. Is Durant great? Yes, his combination of skill and size makes him the best offensive player since Jordan (although Kobe, Shaq, Iverson, and even T-Mac would have something to say about that, but that's another article) and if he continues to improve he could crack the top ten all time someday. Until Durant becomes an elite defender that changes the way offenses approach the game against him this conversation is over. LeBron is a complete player, the likes of which rarely come along in the NBA. Argument over, have fun watching LeBron hoist the only trophy that matters this summer!

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