Inside The Suns

Suns Star Kevin Durant Among Best Finals Performers Ever

Kevin Durant may not have reached the NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns, but his resume is rather impressive.
Jeremy Brener|
Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant dribbles in front of Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam.
Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant dribbles in front of Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

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Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns are sitting at home for the NBA Finals for a fourth straight year, but they have made valiant attempts to try and get back to basketball's biggest stage.

They tried to get back to the Finals in 2023 by trading for two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant, who is one of the best players in NBA Finals history.

Bleacher Report writer Lee Escobedo placed Durant at No. 6 in his top 15 best NBA Finals resumes since 2000.

"Two rings. Two Finals MVPs. Two deathblows delivered to LeBron. Kevin Durant turned a Warriors contender into basketball’s equivalent of a tech monopoly. In back-to-back Finals, he averaged over 30 points combined on elite efficiency, drilling cold-blooded shots within a system so overwhelming it broke the league," Escobedo wrote.

"The aftermath was so seismic, the Collective Bargaining Agreement was reshaped to prevent anything like it from happening again.

"Game 3 in 2017 and 2018 both saw dagger moments, the latter a near-identical situation to the former. No one else ranked below Durant list authored two Finals-deciding plays in two straight years with that level of precision."

Durant knows how to show up when it matters most, but his career with the Suns hasn't showcased that very well. Durant and the Suns were eliminated in the second round during his first season in Phoenix. The Denver Nuggets got the best of them in six games before winning the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.

A year ago, Durant and the Suns reached the playoffs as a No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, but they were shockingly swept by Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After missing the postseason this year, Durant may end up leaving the Suns in a trade this summer in order to help both sides get over the hump.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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