Who would have thought that the Suns would become the first team to exit the playoffs this season, and they were swept 0-4. Although the Pelicans were also swept, they were because they lacked the champion Zion, and the Suns' Big Three were neat, proving that they really couldn't beat. In fact, the Suns entered the playoffs all of them bumped, relying on the 2 victories sent by the Timberwolves Lao Tie, and took the last train, but I didn't expect it to be the opponent that the Timberwolves took the initiative to pick, and the Suns were powerless in almost every game.
To be honest, Durant's personal performance is not bad, averaging 26.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, with a shooting rate of 55.2%, which is not a superstar level but is definitely an All-Star level, but his team has been swept twice in 3 years. We all know that Durant's strongest is individual singles, with excellent height and reach, and shooting skills are at a historical level, so it is difficult for any player to limit him. But they are all unsolvable singles, Kobe and Jordan can win championships many times, why is Durant repeatedly frustrated?
Durant averaged 27.3 points per game in his career, shooting more than 50%, both of which were higher than Kobe, and the score was not as good as Jordan's but the shooting rate was slightly higher than Jordan's. But Durant only won the championship with the Warriors, and at other times, the Thunder, Nets, and Suns had no bad lineups, but they had no chances, and they rarely even entered the Finals.
Although Durant has a higher shooting percentage, it also has a lot to do with the times, the NBA's current rules are more offensive, so he can shoot higher shooting percentages, and the peak era of Jordan and Kobe Bryant was when the NBA's defense was the strongest. In addition, Durant himself said that in order to maintain the shooting rate, he would try not to shoot every quarter of the whistle, which was the prerogative of the team boss in the past, and Jordan and Kobe Bryant didn't know how many times they played. Of course, because of the short offensive time, the shooting rate of the whistle ball is really low, and if it is calculated by conceding one less shot per game, Kobe's shooting rate is about the same as Durant.
Durant's height is both an advantage and a disadvantage, and he can't do a lot of ball handling and digest that much of the ball. So he's been looking for guard teammates, from Westbrook, Curry, and later Irving, Harden, Booker, etc., all to cover up his shortcomings in this area. Jordan and Kobe Bryant can not only consume a lot of balls, but also play a lot of offensive balls, so that the configuration requirements for teammates are reduced. Jordan's star teammate is only Pippen, and Kobe Bryant can win two consecutive championships with Pau Gasol.
Durant's ball quotient is not very high, his singles are basically stand-up singles, and scoring is 2 more points, which cannot really contain the defense and drive the offense of his teammates. And because the ability to play the ball is too poor, once it is trapped, it is easy to make mistakes. Jordan and Kobe Bryant have been treated as double packs since they were off the ball, and the defensive pressure on other teammates is naturally much less, and they can play a super-level performance.
Kobe Bryant and Jordan, in terms of defensive ability, can enter the all-time best defensive lineup, they are real offensive and defensive superstars, and they have achieved the ultimate on the court. Although Durant's defense is not bad, it is only average, and he has never been selected to the All-Defensive Team in his career, and his contribution on the defensive end is much smaller. From a physical point of view, Jordan Kobe Bryant is a well-known physical monster, and he is not tired after playing the whole court in high-intensity games, while Durant has always been a shortcoming in terms of endurance, especially after a major injury to the fourth quarter, he is always weak and his shooting rate is too low.
Durant's luck is indeed a little worse, in 2012 for the first time in the Finals, he met the Heat Big Three at his peak, and then in the Thunder, the team has injuries every year. In the Nets, first injured Harden and then Irving, and the three-point three-point tiebreaker became two points, and that year was the best chance.