Kevin Durant is a player who has had numerous battles in the NBA playoffs. An 18-year veteran of the game, Durant has reached the top of the mountain a few times. But which was his toughest battle? Well, in response to a fan on X asking what his toughest playoff series was, Durant named the 2012 Western Conference Finals series the Oklahoma City Thunder had against the San Antonio Spurs.
“2012 WCF, Spurs… Against a team who won like 20 games in a row or some s**t. Down 0-2, won 4 straight games to go to the finals… Legendary series IMO, especially that Game 6.”
The 2012 Western Conference Finals was a monumental clash. The Oklahoma City Thunder, a young team with three future MVPs in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden were on a roll. They finished the season second in the West with a 47-19 record, right behind the San Antonio Spurs, who finished with a league-best 50-16 record (tied with the Bulls in the East).
They had gotten the best of the reigning NBA champions Dallas Mavericks in a 4-0 sweep in the first round, and then the previous two-time NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers in a 4-1 decimation in the second round to reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time since moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle.
As for the Spurs, they made quick work of their first-round series against the eighth-seed Utah Jazz, sweeping them 4-0. Then they would do the same to the L.A. Clippers in the second round to reach the Conference Finals, where they were set to face the second-best team in the West in OKC.
Games 1 and 2 went the way of the San Antonio Spurs, despite Kevin Durant dropping 27 and 31 points respectively. The Spurs won Game 1 by just three points, with a score of 101-98. As for Game 2, the Spurs defeated the Thunder 120-111. It was looking like the young Thunder were going to be undone by the experienced Spurs. But a series isn’t decided in the first two games, as the Spurs would learn.
Game 3 proved to be a turning point in the series, as the Thunder picked up the 102-82 win, with Durant scoring 22 points (8-17 FG), six rebounds, five assists, and one steal, and James Harden making a strong cameo off the bench with 15 points (5-10 FG), four assists, and three steals. The Thunder showed they still had some fight in them.
In Game 4, Durant took over, to deliver 36 points (13-20 FG), six rebounds, eight assists, and one block, as the Thunder defeated 109-103 to tie the series 2-2.
Kevin Durant shined in Game 5 again, scoring 27 points (10-19 FG), along with four rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block to lead the Thunder to a 108-103 victory. With the series now 3-2, OKC was on the verge of completing a comeback few would have predicted.
One game away from going to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1996 (as the Seattle Supersonics), the Thunder needed to lock in. They needed a leader. Luckily for them, they had one of the best players in the NBA, Kevin Durant to fill that role.
The Slim Reaper put up 34 points (9-17 FG), 14 rebounds, five assists, one steal, and two blocks as the Thunder won 107-99 to close out the series and go to the NBA Finals.
Durant was absolutely a sensation, as he averaged 29.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 53.2% from the field, 35.7% from beyond the arc, and 91.1% from the free-throw line. His performances earned him the Western Conference Finals MVP award.
Unfortunately for Kevin Durant and the Thunder, their trip to the NBA Finals would end in heartbreak, as the Miami Heat would topple them 4-1 to win the NBA championship. But their 2012 playoff run showed fans that the Thunder were a serious team going forward.
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