RIO DE JANEIRO — Kevin Durant wants to be Captain America, our country’s new Olympic hero for the basketball world to embrace.
“Being part of USA basketball is a feeling I can’t even describe,” Durant said Wednesday. Then he did his best to capture the spirit of the thing, by adding: “When you have USA across your chest, it means you’re representing everybody.”
That means Durant is entrusted with honoring and defending the pride of a country where more than 300 million folks seem to believe winning basketball gold is a birthright. Team USA is now the team Durant must lead. Not so long ago, that job belonged to Kobe Bryant, and he struck down any challenge with the ferocity of a Black Mamba.
But does Durant have Bryantap bite? Are his slim shoulders sturdy enough to carry the load? Is K.D. really all that and a bag of potato chips?
Late in the first half of the USA’s 105-78 rout of Argentina during the quarterfinals of the Olympic tournament, Durant put the ball on the floor at the top of the circle and made Manu Ginobili look every dog-tired day of his 39 years with a sweet change of direction. Then, almost effortlessly, K.D. glided into the lane and sank a sweet little floater that barely gazed the rim.
That basket was worth just two of Durantap game-high 27 points. It took a while in this up-and-down tournament for the USA, but he finally took the reins and got the Americans headed in the right direction. What was the secret of his success?
“I just didn’t care about the outcome of the game,” Durant said.
Say what? Please explain.
Well, an NBA superstar sat himself down and had a private little chat prior to facing Argentina. Durant told the man in the mirror to relax.
“I’m at my best when I don’t care if we win or lose,” Durant said. “I’m more free and more aggressive if I don’t care about the outcome.”
Yes, the hoops gang from America is here, wearing red, white and blue at the Summer Games in Brazil. But this ain’t no Dream Team.
After the Americans escaped with a 94-91 victory in pool play when an open look at a 3-point shot by Serbia clanked off the rim at the buzzer, I was standing 20 inches from Nuggets center Nikola Jokic when he assessed the U.S. squad. Jokic said: “They are just players. … They can get beat.”
Since losing to Argentina at the 2004 Olympics, U.S. basketball has reasserted its global dominance, winning 74 straight games, one short of the longest unbeaten streak in the national team’s glorious history. But something has been amiss in Brazil, where the Americans revealed weaknesses against Australia, Serbia and France. The defense has been more inconsistent than intimidating. There has been far too much hero ball at the offensive end, with four players too often standing around, watching one teammate do his thing.
With LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook back at home, getting some well-deserved rest, Team USA does not have an alpha dog. Our old friend Carmelo Anthony is past his prime. Kyrie Irving has some mad skills, but stepping out of King James’ shadow, it is apparent that Cleveland’s young point guard lacks the chops to step up and direct a team loaded with all-star egos.
Durant bolted Oklahoma City as a free agent, taking the path of least resistance to an NBA championship by joining Golden State. There was nothing wrong with that decision. Working hard and landing your dream job is a cornerstone of the American dream.
Itap impossible to ignore Durantap career achievements: seven times an NBA all-star, the league MVP in 2014 and scoring average of 27.4 points per game.
But he’s soft. Durant allowed himself to get bullied by Westbrook in Oklahoma City. Rather than telling his point guard who was the boss, Durant departed for the Warriors, where he can just be one of the guys.
We have been force-fed the idea that Durant can be one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Sorry, but I have no taste for poppycock. Too often, the rest of his game is as feathery as his jump shot. Can K.D. get up and defend? Yes. But when he had Golden State on the ropes during the Western Conference playoffs, he could not deliver the knockout punch.
Whatap up next for the USA figures to be trouble. The Americans face Spain, which routed France 92-67 in the quarterfinals. There’s Pau Gasol, Jose Calderon, Ricky Rubio and the players who have made a name for themselves in the NBA. There are also Nikola Mirotic and Willy Hernangomez, who give Spain the depth of talent to hang with Team USA until the final buzzer.
An upset waiting to happen?
Not if Durant really is Captain America.
