Kevin Durant, after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a Game 1 win over the Miami Heat Tuesday night, may be reminding some of Dirk Nowtizki. They're both sharp-shooting forwards in the 7-foot territory, and Nowitzki was dominant in the Mavericks’ six-game win against the Heat in last year’s NBA Finals.
Nowitzki, however, scoffs at the comparison.
"KD is way ahead of my curve," Nowitzki told ESPN.com.
"He's arguably the best player in the league right now," added Nowitzki, who said he’s been watching the NBA playoffs intently since Dallas was swept by Oklahoma City in the first round. "I see a guy that really has no holes."
Deveney: Kevin Durant shines in Game 1
Dirk said more specifically of the differences in his and Durant’s games, "He's way more of a 3-man than I ever was. He handles the ball way better on the break than I ever did. He's got deeper range. And he's doing all this at 23. He's won the scoring title three times in a row, so that he means he won the first one at 21. I barely got through my rookie year. When I was 21, Gary Trent was still killing me in practice. ...
"For me, at the beginning of my career, I was basically a third or fourth option. We had (Michael Finley). We had Steve (Nash). We had Nick Van Exel that one year (in 2003). Then we got rid of everybody and it was kind of my team, so I had to grow into the (closer) role. I never had to take big shots when I was 20 or 23. Once everybody left, it took me awhile to get used to being in that position. But now I like being in that position. I like to be in that situation. Everybody is looking at you to get it done at the end. And it's a great feeling when you do.â€
Nevertheless, if Durant continues to play like he did in Game 1 en route to spoiling the Big Three's season in the Finals, we'll hear more comparisons between him and Dirk.
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