![]() What this will do, though, is give GMs a chance to keep Greg Oden etched in their minds during the advanced rounds of the tournament, while Durant will be sitting at home. Against a talented and well-coached team like USC, thats just not going to fly. He showed up, but the rest of his team (except A.J. He did draw two charges, though, an area that he is slowly becoming an expert in as a semi-flopper.Īt the end of the day, this game probably wont move Durants stock in either direction. Defensively he looked hesitant to commit any fouls, letting USCs players score easily around the rim and not going as aggressively as weve become accustomed to after rebounds. He just wasnt selfish enough when his team needed him to be, while some of his lesser talented teammates certainly were. He had just 4 points in the first 15 minutes, before scoring 26 over the next 25. On the negative side, it would have been nice to see a bit more urgency coming from his direction. Regardless, we still got plenty of looks at the terrific perimeter game that has made him such a deadly weapon all season long, including his long-range shooting and ability to create his own shot. He wasnt able to get the ball in a position to exploit those matchups, though, as he was a bit passive calling for passes when the game was still within reach and did not have the benefit of a point guard who was committed and able to get him the ball. Rick Barnes strategy of letting his freshmen work things out on their own didnt exactly help matters either.ĭurant saw a few double-teams thrown his way here and there, but for the most part was defended straight up by 6-4 Daniel Hackett and 6-5 Nick Young. That strategy worked flawlessly, as Durant struggled to get touches in the places hes most comfortable in, and wasnt able to take advantage of the huge size advantage he had over his defenders. Rather than trying to shut down the best player in the country, USC head coach Tim Floyd instead went straight to the hand that feeds him in going after D.J. Durant didnt go out without a fight, though, scoring 30 points for the 10th time this season in what turned out to be his last game of the season, and probably of his college career. ![]() While practically the entire country would have liked to see freshman sensation Kevin Durant match up in the Sweet 16 with #1 seed North Carolina, Nick Young and the USC Trojans had other ideas. Australia and Serbia, but rebounded nicely and found his groove in the Championship game against Serbia, matching his Olympic career high of 30 points, the same amount he scored in the gold medal game vs. He looked vulnerable at times early on in the tournament struggling late in games vs. Durant led the tournament in 3-pointers made at 25, and posted the third highest true shooting percentage at 74.5. His statistics in these Olympics were similar to what he did in 2012, posting nearly identical points and rebounds averages, however this go around he did it without the likes of Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwayne Wade playing by his side. If Durant chooses to compete in the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo, he will no doubt pass Anthony who has said that this will be his last Olympic competition.ĭurant has now competed in three international competitions (2010 FIBA World Championships, 2012 Olympics, and 2016 Olympics) and has yet to lose a game, winning all 25 of the games he has participated in. He is only 25 points behind Carmelo Anthony for first all time, and what is so impressive about that statistic is that Durant has only played in 16 Olympic games, 15 less than the amount Anthony has played. in scoring for the second straight Olympics, and now ranks second all time in total points scored in U.S. Kevin Durant led the United States to its third consecutive Olympic gold medal, the second for him personally.
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