With 36-year-old LeBron James watching the playoffs from home, the “best player in the world” title is officially up for grabs, and Kevin Durant is making a pretty strong run for it.
To follow up what has been a string of solid performances from the Brooklyn star, Durant went bonkers in game 5, dropping a 49-point triple-double to secure the win.
After the game, even Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn’t help but concede that KD is the best player in the game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo on Kevin Durant: "He's the best player in the world right now."
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 16, 2021
For a 2x MVP to hand off that title to his biggest competition really says a lot about how well KD is playing right now.
As for the state of the series, it’d be a lie to say that momentum isn’t completely in Brooklyn’s favor right now. Durant’s performance alone was enough to overcome Milwaukee’s double-digit lead.
Worse still, James Harden played terribly, and it’d be unwise to expect another performance like that from him again.
In the end, this could be it for the Bucks. As they head home for Game 6, they will do everything they can to keep their season alive. And while the odds are stated against them, the series isn’t over yet.
But if KD keeps playing like he has been, it’ll only be a matter of time.
