In today's NBA East End, a strong dialogue was staged, with the Nets and Bucks, who met in the second round of the East Side last year, again, and this is also the second time the two teams have played each other this season. In the end, The alphabet brother laughed to the end, and Durant was difficult to support, but after the game, the alphabet brother still sent praise to Durant. The duel between the two today is also quite similar to the previous "Kojan duel".
The first is that the age gap between the two groups is somewhat similar. As we all know, Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, and James was born on December 30, 1984, with an age difference of almost 6 years and 4 months, while Durant was born on September 29, 1988, and Alphabet brother was born on December 6, 1994, and the age difference between the two is almost 6 years and 2 months.
In addition, the date interval between the two groups of players entering the NBA is also somewhat similar. Bryant landed in the NBA in 1996, and seven years later, in 2003, James also joined the NBA, and both joined as high school students; Durant was selected as the top spot in 2007, and the alphabet brother was selected in the lottery in 2013, and the two were separated by 6 years.
It is also interesting to compare the experiences of these two groups of players. Bryant achieved "one man, one city" and won 5 championships in the Lakers, while Alphabet Brother still plays for the Bucks and brought the championship back to Milwaukee last year, while James and Durant are both in 3 teams, and both won the MVP before the initial transfer and the first title after the initial transfer.
Of course, when it comes to the similarities between these two groups of players, there is also the fact that they are the top players in the NBA of their own time, and their styles are different. From the perspective of technical style, Durant and Kobe Bryant both have outstanding shooting ability, top scoring ability, and indiscriminate shooting lethality.
In contrast, James (at least early) and Alphabet Brother are not known for shooting. Previously, after two consecutive seasons of three-point shooting rate in the early 30%, the three-point shooting rate of alphabet brothers this season fell back to below 30%. The 2011-12 season was a watershed in James' career. After the 2011 Finals, James, who only shot 34 percent from three-point range in the first eight seasons of his career, has only two single-season three-point shooting rates below 34 percent in the 11 seasons that followed to today.
The matchup between Kobe Bryant and James was once known as "23vs24" and spread around the world, although James changed the jersey number after heading south to Miami. According to statistics, Kobe Bryant and James have played each other 22 times in the regular season, and James has an advantage of 16 wins and 6 losses. In those 22 games, Bryant averaged 36.9 minutes per game, with 24.6 points, 5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.1 steals, shooting 42.8% from the field and 34.1% from three-point range; James averaged 40.3 minutes per game, with 28.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.9 steals, shooting 46.9% and 32.3% from the field.
Before Bryant retired, James had not yet traveled west, so the only occasion for the two to playoff duels was the Finals. Unfortunately, the two never played out in the finals. When Kobe Bryant waved goodbye in 2016, it also became a scar hidden in the depths of the fans' hearts.
Before this game, Durant and Alphabet Brother met 14 times in the regular season, and Durant had the advantage of 9 wins and 5 losses. In these 14 games, Durant averaged 34.9 minutes per game, 26.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists, shooting 47% from the field and 42% from three-point range; Alphabet Brother averaged 34.1 minutes per game, 26.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks, shooting 49.8% from 49.8% and shooting 29.4% from three-point range.
Before 2021, although Durant and Alphabet Brother are in the NBA, their careers have not had much intersection. In the 2016-17 season, Durant joined the Warriors and won the first career championship, while Alphabet Brother was elected the most improved player in the same season; while Durant joined the Nets in 2019, but missed the 2019-20 season due to injury, and at this time Alphabet Brother has won the MVP.
It wasn't until the second round of the 2020-21 East End that the Nets and Bucks met in a narrow road, and Durant and Alphabet Brother's careers finally intersected, resulting in the first playoff showdown of their careers.
In this classic round of 7 battles, Durant averaged 42.7 minutes per game, 35.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks; Alphabet Brother averaged 40.1 minutes per game, 31.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1 block, shooting 57.4% and 25.8%, respectively. The Bucks briefly led 2-0, but successive injuries to Harden and Irving changed the course of the series. In the end, after Durant paid too much for his feet, Alphabet Brother laughed to the end in overtime to grab seven games.
Today, the "Kojan Controversy" has entered the halls of history. Bryant passed away, and the 37-year-old James ushered in the 19th season of his career, and his career has entered the twilight of his life. But Durant's showdown with Alphabet Brother is likely to have just begun. Although Durant is 33 years old, he is still clutching the tail of the peak. Although the alphabet brother has honors and has been added to the yellow robe, he has just entered the golden age of NBA players when he has just turned 27 years old.
Considering that the Nets and Bucks are now at the top of the East Side, it is inevitable that they will bump into each other on the road to the championship, so the playoff showdown between Durant and Alphabet Brother is bound to appear in front of us many times. (Supine Braces/Hairy)