Despite what pundits said about Durant’s move to the Warriors, the man was still the man with Golden State. When crunch time arrived, the ball was almost always in KD’s hands. That was the case in a 2018 matchup between the Dubs and the Toronto Raptors.
Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry had helped increase the Raptors’ lead to 6 with a minute left in the game. Following the Raptors bucket, the inbound pass was sent to Durant. The entire arena knew no other Warrior would touch the ball on the possession, and that was indeed the case. KD took a simple ball screen from teammate Andre Iguodala to get the smaller Lowry switched on him. Durant could’ve easily rose up over Lowry, but a series of dribble moves further provided space for the easy three-pointer. 116-119, Raptors.
Durant then put in the work on defense, contesting a Leonard fadeaway before the Warriors secured the ball. Teammate Klay Thompson quickly shuffled over to Kevin, who had 18 seconds left to tie things up. The methodical Durant easily got past Kawhi, but backpedaled into the corner after Serge Ibaka cut him off from the weak side. Durant looked to dribble back out before launching another trey in the corner with Leonard breathing down on the contest. Bucket; 119-119. The Warriors would end up losing the game in OT, but the 6-point flurry showed that no game is over with KD on the court.
Durant rocked the Nike KD 11 during the last-minute heroics. This shoe utilized the best of Nike’s technologies at the time. Flyknit was used in the upper, giving a soft, sock-like feel. Nike also combined a full-length Zoom Air unit with React foam to offer both responsiveness and a plush ride with every step.
Kevin rocked a yellow and white player exclusive for this game, but you can find other colorways of the Nike KD 11 at StockX, Flight Club, Stadium Goods, and GOAT.
Cover image via Yahoo Sports