Kevin Durant’s Defense Saves Team USA

The NBA’s leading scorer got it done on the defensive end in Spain yesterday, securing victory for Team USA. This bodes well for the Thunder, writes the Oklahoman: “The final eight seconds of Team USA’s 86-85 exhibition win over Spain on Sunday night in Madrid belonged to Kevin Durant. The Thunder forward secured the victory not with a game-winning shot but with two game-saving blocks. His swats — which prevented corner 3-pointers by Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez — preserved an unblemished record for the United States heading into its fourth and final exhibition game Wednesday against Greece. More importantly, Durant’s timely defense punctuated his month-long development with Team USA and perhaps foreshadowed not only what’s to come during the FIBA World Championship, which begin Saturday in Turkey, but also the 2010-11 NBA season.”