When Kevin Durant made his debut in the series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets in Game 2, there was immediate unease about how that could hurt LeBron James' team. For his part, Durant invited those nerves pretty early for all Lakers fans.
Durant scored 20 points in the first half against Los Angeles, making concerns about his knee a distant memory for most. The second half was a completely different story. KD only scored three points, shooting 1-of-5, and turned the ball over five times. It truly was a tale of two halves.
For his part, James did not think the Lakers had anything to really hang their hat on from that success. LeBron would not dare count out Durant publicly after the Lakers' tough 101-94 win over the Rockets in Game 2.
"It's just gonna make him even madder going into Game 3. No satisfaction. Do your job. We did that, but the guy's a first ballot Hall of Famer. He's gonna make way more great plays than not, so we don't have no satisfaction. That game is over and done with, but there's still a tall challenge."
James may not want to say it but the Lakers do have an established approach they should know can work against Durant and the Rockets moving forward.
Lakers must continue to force Rockets players not named Kevin Durant to beat them
Durant is a tough scorer to slow down in single coverage, no matter his age. The Rockets forward is one of the greatest bucket-makers the NBA has ever seen. One on one, there may not be a defender for him.
However, the Lakers do not have to play this series in that manner against Durant. They should be more than happy to invite the exact opposite.
Durant is a serviceable passer at the forward position, but battling out of doubles with playmaking is not exactly his strong suit. That is why the Lakers managed to get nine turnovers out of the two-time champion in Game 2.
Unlike his previous stops, Durant does not have a clear star partner to alleviate real pressure off him.
With the Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant had Russell Westbrook. With the Golden State Warriors, everyone was worried about Stephen Curry. During his time with the Brooklyn Nets, James Harden and Kyrie Irving were there to help. Even the Phoenix Suns gave him Devin Booker to work with.
The Rockets have... Alperen Sengun? With no strong slight meant for Sengun, he is just not up to par with the previous quality of stars above. That would not be the case at this point of his career, at least.
The Lakers should be more than content bringing all sorts of pressure at Durant to try and force the ball out of his hands, create turnovers, or making him settle for bad shots. Until the Rockets role players prove otherwise, JJ Redick's squad has their formula down.
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