Kevin Durant: ‘A Lot of People Forgot About Me This Year’

Aside from the Miami trio, Kevin Durant and the OKC Thunder were perhaps the most hyped storyline coming into this season, something that changed dramatically as the year progressed. KD wants his props, but is fine with flying under the radar to some degree. From HoopsHype: “I guess I’m flying under the radar,’the Oklahoma City forward said … But it was Durant who brought up the belief his Q rating has slipped this season. It all started when he was asked about being on the verge of winning a second straight scoring crown. ‘A lot of people forgot about me this year,’ said Durant, averaging 27.8 points. ‘So I guess if I get the scoring title, I guess people will remember me. Last year, I kind of jumped on the scene. I’m the old guy. I’m not going out there and averaging 40 points a game and stuff like that. So people forgot about me. So, hopefully, the scoring title I guess will let people to know, ‘Hey, I’m here still.’ … Durant’s name, though, hasn’t come up very much lately in MVP talk. He might not even crack the top five. Rose, James, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and Orlando center Dwight Howard figure to finish ahead of him, and perhaps Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki also will. But Durant insists not being regarded as a strong MVP candidate isn’t bothering him. In fact, he said Rose, whose Bulls are 57-20 after going 41-41 last season, should be handed the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. ‘No (dissatisfaction). I’m playing on a winning basketball team,’ Durant said of the Thunder (52-26), which clinched the Northwest Division on Wednesday. ‘I won 50 games. I’m in a tough conference, a tough division. I think the MVP goes to a guy that there team is like us last year when we went from 23 wins to 50 (even if Durant finished behind James, whose Cavaliers actually fell from 66 to 61 wins). That’s a big difference. With guys like D. Rose, they went from 41 to like 50-something right now. So it’s a big difference. We stayed the same.'”