After endless hours of math homework and pulling my hair out, I went to ESPN, maybe the best distraction from studying that has ever been invented. Then I saw something that just blew my mind, something that has been blowing people’s minds for the past few weeks.
Some call him the Slim Reaper, KD35 or Durantula. Kevin Durant is what his mom calls him. With the game tied in the dying seconds, Durant got the ball behind the 3-point line and the Hawks’ defense collapsed on him. But that didn’t matter once the ball left his hand. He and everyone knew what was going to happen. Game. Set. Match.
What he is doing is pretty amazing. He has 11 straight games with over 30 points. The streak started in a loss to the Jazz, but since that loss, the Thunder have won 9 of 12 while rolling off eight straight wins. The streak includes wins over the Rockets and Blazers. A double-double, triple-double and a 54-point performance are just some of his stats as he slowly gaps the field in the MVP race.
You may think that all he has been doing is scoring, just making it rain over the helpless defenders who only wish to contain him? It’s not just that. Durant still averages 7.9 rebounds. That’s close to one more than Lebron James is currently averaging. Don’t get angry, LBJ lovers: Both are great players, but Durant is just playing out of this world right now.
Durant is not the only one who is showing off his absolute out-of-this-world scoring ability. New York Knick forward Carmerlo Anthony recently scored 62 in Madison Square Garden, setting an arena record. Terrence Ross put up 51 points on the Clippers and Kobe Bryant went on a scoring spree . . . wait. Sorry, I was thinking of last year. He is still sitting on the bench doing his best Derrick Rose impression.
The scoring has trickled down to Weber State to one of the best players in the Big Sky Conference, Davion Berry. In a key four-game home stand, Berry and the Wildcats went 4-0 while he averaged 24.3 points, five assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. It wasn’t just the average that was stunning, but how he made 55 percent of the shots he took.
Berry was also able to score in many different ways as he shot a game-high 23 free throws, while making 18 against Southern Utah. Against Montana State, he was perfect from the charity stripe, going 10-10. Then, against both Idaho State and Montana, Berry found his stroke from behind the arc as he hit four 3-pointers in each game.
The Wildcats will need Berry to continue this streak as the Wildcats continue their fight back to the NCAA tournament. Just as good as he has been scoring, Joel Bolomboy has been a beast on the glass. He averaged 15.6 rebounds per game, including a 19-rebound game against the University of Montana. While Berry was slowly getting his names in the headlines, Bolomboy had two double-doubles.
Whoever you cheer for, whether it be KD35, LBJ or the Wildcats, it is an interesting time to be a fan of basketball. Important games are on the horizon, and time will tell if these streaks continue.
