Arachnophobia: Should LeBron James and the Miami Heat Fear the Durantula?

I just posted a new Bleacher Report article on Team USA summarizing their performance in the preliminary round of the 201 FIBA World Championships. After five games, Durant's performance against international competition has surpassed LeBron's performance in the 2008 Olympics. Check it out:

Arachnophobia: Why FIBA Should Fear The Durantula At The World Championships | World Domination: Kevin Durant Is Leading Team USA to The World Championship | Bleacher Report

The analysis used the metrics for estimating the number of wins produced by a player based on their box score statistics developed by Prof. David Berri of the Wages of Wins Journal.

In the 2008 Olympics, LeBron produced an estimated 0.372 wins per 40 minutes (average EWP40 is 0.100). Heading into today's game against Angola in the World Championships, the Durantula has produced 0.437 EWP40.

Durant has become the patron saint for LeBron-haters this summer, but if his performance at the World Championships is a harbinger for things to come, then Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder could prove to be a viable threat to the Miami Heat's goal of establishing a dynasty.

To see updated 2010 Team USA stats for Durant, check out this spreadsheet.

To see 2008 Team USA stats for LeBron, check out this spreadsheet.

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