MANILA, Philippines – In Game One of NBA Finals Friday, it was neither a guy named LeBron James nor someone called Stephen Curry who stood out.
For 48 minutes, it was someone who lost on the league's grandest stage who mounted the best game—and a flawless one at it.
Kevin Durant's fingerprints were all over the Golden State Warriors' blowout win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He did it all: shoot from distance, hit the pull-up jumper, dunk the ball, grab the rebound and facilitate on offense.
"That was just—that was organic. I was just—I don't know," Durant, the NBA's former Most Valuable Player, said. I just go out there and play. I try not to predetermine anything—[I] just go out there and hoop."
Durant looked unconscious for the most part—he took the ball to the rack six times in the game to tie his career-most dunks, scored 25 of his 38 points all in the first half, nailed a dagger trey to put the game beyond reach—he did all that and more with a four-time MVP breathing under his neck.
"I just tried to do my part, stay locked in on both ends and have some fun out there," Durant said.
"I'm only as good as my teammates. I didn't say that here, but I said that to (reporter) Doris Burke," the lanky forward said. "But I'm only as good as my teammates."
"We just ... try to complement each other and try to make the game easier for each other. And in transition, I only can get in transition because we got stops and rebounding," he added.
Durant's Game One output tied his 2017 playoff high (Game Three of West semis vs. Utah) and marked his fourth 30+ game of the 2017 post-season.
The Warriors forward, who fell to James and Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals, had been vilified for joining the tormentors of his former team Oklahoma City Thunder.
Although that has turned to nothing but a mere footnote. Especially when he's having fun like this.
"This is what every player wants to be, is the highest level of basketball," Durant said. "That's what you dream about as a kid, is to play at the highest level."
"I wouldn't have done my teammates any good if I wasn't just enjoying the moment, no matter what. So I just tried to stay locked in on that, at the same time have some fun," he continued.
But what makes Durant the darling of this circumstance is perhaps is his oozing confidence.
"[W]e could be a lot better than we were tonight. But in The Finals, you get the W, we'll take it," Durant offered.
"[I'm] just trying to do my best to be there for my teammates and to play up to my standards as an individual as well ... I'm probably going to say this a lot over the next couple days, we're just trying to stay locked in, man."
The series resumes on Monday, Manila time, before it shifts to Cleveland later next week. – Denison Rey A. Dalupang