The last try this summer - there is not much time left for KD to win the championship

NBA playoffs enter the division finals, with the Eastern Conference Knicks and the Pacers, the Western Conference Timberwolves and the Thunder (or the Nuggets) fighting for the Finals tickets. But the more intense the game, the more eye-catching the trends of the eliminated stars - James, Curry, Antetokounmpo, Durant and other super giants collectively "off" early, among which Durant's situation is the most embarrassing.

After the Lakers were eliminated, 40-year-old James may choose to reduce his salary and sign up, and the Purple and Gold Army will make a comeback; after the Bucks were eliminated, rumors of Antetokounmpo leaving the team are rampant, and the Rockets, Heat, Spurs and other teams are ready to move. The Warriors boss continued to strengthen around Curry, which will become more aggressive in this summer's offseason, and Curry + Butler's dual cores are still full of deterrence. But when it was Durant's turn, the style suddenly changed - the 37-year-old veteran became a "spare tire", and the potential next company is far less interested in him than Antetokounmpo, after all, the latter is healthier and younger. After the Rockets were eliminated by the Warriors in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, the team's management is pursuing Antetokounmpo with all their might, even if they send out center Shin Kyung, and Durant is not the first choice. The Warriors simply kept silent about Durant, although they had pursued it in the middle of the season. At that time, Durant thought that the Warriors would have a normal lineup after they got it, so he chose to refuse.

The Suns are also undercurrents, Bill's contract is difficult to deal with, Booker has become a hot spot in the trading market, but Durant is not as hotly discussed as before. The Big Three Suns mode has failed. Paul was able to enter the finals when he led the team, but now he can't even touch the playoffs. Durant and Booker's singles cannot improve the team's offensive and defensive power. Over time, it will naturally lead to a tense atmosphere in the locker room. How can such a team compete for the championship?

In my opinion, the core contradiction that Durant cannot be as enthusiastic as Antetokounmpo is that he wants to be the boss of the team, but he cannot lead the team to win. Antetokounmpo is at its peak at the age of 30. His experience of leading the team to win the championship has made him a popular player in the market. He is still the top three in the league at the moment. Durant is 37 years old and has a beautiful data (26.6+6+4.2 per game), but his "stick singles" style of playing can't make the team go further.

Judging from its own factors, Durant's problem is deeply rooted and not formed overnight. After leaving the Warriors, he was addicted to "single-only" rather than tactical cooperation. During the Nets, he allowed Irving to "absent from the game" and was eventually swept in the first round; he joined the Suns and copied the "dual-core singles" mode, but the result was worse than that of one year. Throughout his career, he never learned how to be a leader - he would only show off his face after losing, rather than using humor to resolve conflicts like Curry did. This is the shortcomings of Duran's character.

There are also external factors. The Spurs, Rockets, and Heat want the team to be the present and the future. No matter how strong Durant is, he can't play for five years; championship teams such as the Nuggets cannot get him due to their salary, and the combination of Murray + Jokic has been proven to be more secure. The most ironic thing is that when he surrendered to the enemy, the Warriors were called "soft eggs", but now he wants to prove himself, but he is in a dead cycle: if he doesn't lead the team to win the championship, he will fail, and if he leads the team to win the championship, he has to rely on joining the team to win the championship. Durant's heart is still full of contradictions.

After all, the NBA is a business world and a fame world. Antetokounmpo can attract the whole league to rob because he is the "corresponding team building" and his own system can ensure that the team's record has a high lower limit; 37-year-old Durant has suffered a major injury, and now he only has one jump shot technique left with the ball, and sometimes he is unable to organize and defend.

There is not much time left for KD to win the championship again - either join a strong team as a puzzle, or bet on all your money to form a "Sunset Red Team"? Or give up proving your obsession again? But no matter which path you choose, Durant, who "winned the championship while standing and "invincible in the world" during the Warriors' era, may never come back.