Let it be known that in the [I tried to count all the games three times and came up with three different numbers between 500 and 700] game of the 2012/13 NBA season, Kevin Durant became the first to achieve 50 points. Durant dropped a career-high 52, actually; 21 of which came at the free throw line (on the same number of attempts). Shawn Marion, who gave up 17 of the 52, thought this number of free throws was decidedly too many: “It’s hard to beat anybody when you’re playing five-on-eight.”
Regardless of whether or not there’s any validity to his point, it should be noted that there is no record of Marion taking objection to the 24 free throws attempted by Dirk Nowitzki against the Thunder on May 17th, 2011. Getting back to the game at hand, Durant made just 13 of 31 shots from the floor. He missed nine in a row in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks came back from down eight* (JUICE), including a great look at a 22-footer that would’ve won the game at the buzzer. Despite his struggles, Durant continued to shoot the ball, and he shot it well in overtime. Beginning at the two-minute mark, KD produced three consecutive buckets. The third — an insanely difficult one-footed, one-handed runner over the outstretched arm of Shawn Marion — gave Oklahoma City a 116-114 lead which they’d never relinquish. His complete highlights can be seen right here…
What is not shown in the above video nor any highlight video that I can find is one of the all-time great “fuck it!” shots by Mike James. James, who played the entire overtime in place of Darren Collison despite Collison’s 15 points on 5-8, broke off the designed play on the Mavericks possession that followed Durant’s aforementioned floater. With the Mavs down two and about 15 seconds to go, James was switched onto by Kendrick Perkins. Apparently looking to exploit the mismatch, he audibled out of whatever Rick Carlisle had designed and isolated Perkins beyond the top of the key. James did not proceed to drive on the slow-footed defender, however. Instead, he did this:
Gilbert Arenas: Screaming “YOLO!” since before YOLO had a meaning (one of many reasons we thought he was nuts).
Obviously, there are a couple of minor differences between the shot in the video and the actual shot by James:
- James’ shot didn’t go in.
- James isn’t prime Gilbert Arenas.
- Dirk Nowitzki did not play for the 2007 Wizards.
- The Mavericks were losing, not tied.
Other than that they were pretty much exactly the same… which is absolutely hilarious considering that James was in the D-League like a week ago. From the Texas Legends to nationally-televised Gilbert Arenas impersonations… Mike James, I salute you.
