NBA finals is more than James against Durant

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY

LeBron James is quickly racking up MVP awards while Kevin Durant is collecting scoring titles at the same pace.

Either could make a case as the best player in the NBA.

Neither is interested in anything beyond team accomplishments.

One of them is about to get the only crown he craves, their head-to-head duel the leading story line of the NBA finals that begin tonight when Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder host James and the Miami Heat.

“I think it’s going to be a great matchup,” Miami’s Dwyane Wade said. “I think it’s going to be two players that’s going to be tough to guard each other, that’s going to have to guard each other.”

Both insist the series is more than an individual matchup and the All-Star talent around them supports the claim. But the focus will be on James, the three-time MVP in his third shot at a championship, and Durant, the three-time scoring champion who is playing for his first at age 23.

It’s the first time the MVP and scoring champ have met in the finals since 1997, when Michael Jordan’s Bulls knocked off MVP Karl Malone and Utah.

“Everybody is going to make the most out of the matchup of me versus LeBron, but it’s the Thunder versus the Heat,” Durant said. “One guy versus another guy, it’s not going to be a 1-on-1 matchup to win the series, it’s going to be all about the team.”

A disappointment last year in the Heat’s six-game loss to Dallas, James has said he’s been in a better frame of mind this season and is looking forward making up for his previous failure.

“I didn’t play well. I didn’t make enough game-changing plays that I know I’m capable of making and I felt like I let my teammates down,” he said.

“I’m happy and I’m humbled that I can actually be back in this position less than 12 months later to do a better job of making more plays, more game-changing plays out on the floor on a bigger stage. So we’ll see what happens.”