Kevin Durant's 17 fourth-quarter points led the Thunder to a come-from-behind 105-94 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Thunder will need to win three more games before laying claim to the title, but the team has already won in terms of playoff popularity.
In Pictures: The Most Popular NBA Jerseys
Fanatics.com, an online sports merchandise retailer, has found that the Thunder have blown away the competition when it comes to postseason merchandise sales. Oklahoma City merchandise has been the most popular since the beginning of the playoffs, with 15% more sales than second-ranked Miami. Playoff sales have actually flipped the script from the regular season, during which Heat gear was twice as popular as Thunder merchandise.
The biggest reason for the team's surge in popularity is Kevin Durant. Durant merchandise leads that of all other NBA players throughout the playoffs, surpassing second-ranked LeBron James by 30% and fourth-ranked Dwyane Wade by almost 70%. It's not difficult to understand why. As my colleague Kurt Badenhausen points out, Durant is on the verge of becoming a true NBA superstar. Durant's exciting play has attracted fans from across the country, and his popularity will only continue to grow throughout the NBA Finals and this summer's Olympic Games in London.
Also of interest: New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin ranks No. 7 in postseason merchandise sales despite not playing in a single game since March. Lin's immense popularity also helped the Knicks dwarf all other teams in regular season sales. In fact, Knicks gear was a whopping 70% more popular during the regular season than merchandise for the second-most popular Chicago Bulls.
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