The Brooklyn Nets' "City of Angels" Los Angeles road trip, which was supposed to be two high-profile games, was dimmed by the absence of the leading stars of the two Los Angeles teams.
Interestingly, when Durant was asked in an interview about the NBA all-time small forward President Hill star, Durant gave four names, and he believed that current James, Leonard and himself, as well as Green Army star "Big Bird" Larry Bird, are the strongest small forwards in NBA history.
After the Nets' victory over the Clippers today, the Nets have won two consecutive games, and the team's record has reached 6-7, ranking ninth in the East.
The Clippers have had a less satisfying record this season due to the absence of star Leonard, who has played just two games off the bench so far this season, averaging 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
The good news is that Leonard, who has been sidelined for the day due to knee injury management, has started 5v5 training, and his comeback is just around the corner.
In today's post-game interview with Leonard, Durant said that the league would be better when he (Leonard) could play.
As for the Lakers, they have become the fourth team in the league to reach 10 records since yesterday's loss to the Kings.
Today's 2-10 record is the worst start in Z's history, ranking only better than the Houston Rockets.
Now the Lakers can be described as in dire straits, and many problems have been exposed under the bleak record, and the team's star James is indispensable for some criticism.
But people seem to ignore the fact that James will officially turn 38 in just over a month.
Throughout NBA history, ask which star can still perform so strongly at the age of 38.
This season, James is averaging 24.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game.
Durant, who was previously interviewed, also did not hesitate to praise James.
He said James is tough to deal with, the Nets need to win now, and he certainly wants James to play, but obviously if he's not there, the game will definitely be easier for the Nets.
Finally, when talking about James' groin injury, Durant said that he hoped that this time would not be as serious as last time, that he would be able to come back in a week or two, that James would recover soon, and that they would be able to play on the court the next time the Lakers came to Brooklyn.
The NBA game is indispensable for the eye-catching battle when the two armies face each other, but the drama of heroes cherishing each other is always moving.
There are many cold stories of the two in the NBA, but this warmth that transcends the relationship between teammates and appreciates each other to bless them is the most touching.
So far this season, Durant has averaged 30.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, still a superstar performance in the league.
People don't seem to realize that the '08 star is not a few years younger than James, and he is now 34 years old.
How good is Durant this season?
Not to mention that he now has scored 25+ points in the opening 13 games to catch up with Jordan after 16 consecutive games of 25+ in the opening 1988-1989 season.
Speaking of mid-range technology alone, it is not an exaggeration to describe Durant's already signature technology as "amazing".
At that time, Maddie won him the reputation of the white horse spear because of his dashing and flowing aesthetic style of play, and his one-handed supernatural dry pull was his signature label.
For Maddie at the peak, scoring is tantamount to probing for something.
And in the active league, the person who can score as he wants can be said to be unparalleled except Durant.
When we watch Durant save the team from solving problems with mid-range shots again and again, we know why he is still a top three small forward.
According to a statistic, in the mid-range shooting statistics of players who have played at least 200 minutes in the league this season, Durant is far ahead of everyone in terms of the number of shots and the percentage of shots.
If it is represented by the coordinate axis, the horizontal axis represents the hit rate and the vertical axis indicates the number of shots, there is no doubt that Durant will be the person who appears on the top right, which seems a little "out of place", and even makes people feel that the high places are cold...
In today's game with the Clippers, Durant played 34 minutes, shooting 10-of-16 from the field, 3-of-5 from three-point range, 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, scoring a game-high 27 points, plus 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, filling the statistics column.
But that's just his regular operation, isn't it...