Ranking the 5 key players to impact the NBA Western Conference Finals

3) Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant has had another stellar season for the Thunder

If there is anybody in the league who could compete with Curry in a shootout, it’s got to be Kevin Durant and if he gets going the Warriors are going to have their hands full on defense. Their best defenders Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes easily give away a couple of inches while guarding Durant, making things slightly easier for the 2014 NBA league MVP.

However, an important factor in Durant’s impact on the series is Westbrook. The Thunder are not known to be a team that runs plays on offence and to be effective Durant needs to be given the ball at crucial stages at easy spots on the floor so that he can help OKC have the upper hand but that depends a lot on Westbrook’s vision and decision making.

Having said that, it’s key for the Thunder that Durant finds his groove offensively in this series. OKC will simply fall apart against an opponent like the Warriors if Durant has a historically off shooting night like he did in Game 2 against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

Through the Thunder and Warriors three regular season match-ups, it was quite clear that Durant’s shooting at his length does give the defending champions some problems on defence. OKC must capitalise on the extra attention Durant will receive from the Warriors defence.