Kevin Durant, Not LeBron James, Is the Best Small Forward in the NBA

Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James.

There's almost no right answer to the debate of who is better, but if you could only choose one, you have to make the tough decision and choose Durant.

Before we start, this is no knock on James as much as it is praising Durant.

James is the most physically gifted player of all time. There's no debating that, but at the end of the day Durant currently is and will be in the future the better player.

Both of their regular season numbers are comparable, but what separates the two is postseason and fourth-quarter play. Yes, I know neither guy has a ring, but that makes the comparison better at the moment.

Durant has the edge and will continue to.

The numbers don't lie.

Let's start with last season. I know James's struggles have been beaten to death, but it's worth a look.

James’s points per game (23.7) and field goal percentage (46.6 percent) were his lowest in three seasons in the 2011 postseason. He also suffered the greatest points per game disparity between regular season and Finals in NBA history, going from 26.7 points down to a lousy 17.8.

He's supposed to be bona fide superstar in the prime of his career. Yet with the game on the line and playoff series on the line, James shows a pattern for underachieving.

He also pulled a similar disappearing act in the postseason the season before during his final stint in Cleveland.

Durant's performance was just the opposite.

He averaged 28.6 points per game in last summer’s playoffs, up nearly four points from his previous postseason and good for the highest 2011 playoff total of any NBA player.

Even better than the scoring, his postseason numbers improved in nearly every statistical category from the preceding year, including field goal percentage, three-point percentage, assists, rebounds, steals and turnovers.

James's offensive game also tends to be streaky, especially his shooting which has often been more on the cold side.

Durant, on the other hand, has displayed the ability to knock down almost any shot from anywhere on the court more consistently.

Who's better in the clutch?

I have to give the edge to Durant as well.

Last night's performance against Dallas is just one example of what he's capable of, but it's more about what James doesn't do in those same situations.

James has often dominated the ball in critical and tight moments, but from 2003-09 he had attempted 50 game-winning shots and only knocked down 34 percent of those. In addition, he had only six game-winning assists in that same span.

Six?

Durant has shown the ability to be unselfish in the same situations. During the last five minutes of games within five points, his field goal percentage (41.5 percent) is better and he has deferred to his teammates more.

Russell Westbrook has nearly as many shot attempts resulting from Durant passes in those moments as Durant has attempted shots himself.

Ignore the numbers for a second and just look at what happens to the two superstars in clutch moments.

Durant is a quiet leader and his body language wouldn't give away whether the Thunder were winning by 30 or trailing by one with the clock winding down. He can clearly handle any situation.

James, on the other hand, has proved time and time again that he can't handle the moment. His body language often leads you to believe that the clutch moments kill him and his play in those situations is a direct correlation.

For every big shot that James has hit in big situations, he's forced up a ton more bad ones.

Durant can simply be counted on more to be a superstar when he's supposed to. That's late in games and in the postseason.

For that reason alone, Durant is the right choice every day of the week.