NBA Playoffs 2011: Is Kevin Durant the Best Player in the Postseason?

Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant took over Game 5 of his team’s first round series with the Denver Nuggets Wednesday night, scoring the final nine points for the Thunder to erase a nine point deficit with four minutes to play in regulation. 

It was an amazing performance for Durant, whose 41 points were the difference as OKC punched their ticket to the next round with a 4-1 series win, and will play either the San Antonio Spurs or the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western semis. 

Often a quiet and mild-mannered guy on and off the court, Durant played with more emotion and passion than NBA fans have ever seen from him. 

Few players work harder before, during, or after games than Durant, but he normally doesn’t visibly show much intensity. 

On Wednesday night Durant saw his team losing control of the game and the series momentum, so he went to work and carried the Thunder on his back. 

According to NBA.com, Kevin Durant is shooting 78 percent (7 of 9) in clutch situations in the 2011 NBA Playoffs. 

Durant has been clutch all season for OKC, and if he can continue his clutch shooting for the rest of the playoffs, the Thunder have a great shot to make the NBA Finals. 

What was amazing about Durant's Game 5 performance was his efficiency. He scored 41 points on 27 shots, and did not commit a single turnover. 

His teammates however, shot a poor 29 percent (16 of 55) from the field, and committed 14 turnovers.

Good things happen when you give the ball to your best player and let him decide the outcome of the game. 

In Game 4 of the series, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook scored 30 points on 30 shot attempts—Durant meanwhile scored 31 points on just 18 shot attempts.

Westbrook tried to do too much offensively in Game 4, and should have deferred to the more dependable Durant in the fourth quarter. In Game 5, Westbrook did not make the same mistake. 

Durant creates so many matchup problems for opposing defenses with his length and quickness.

He is able to score any way he wants. He is a very good three-point shooter, he can shoot off the dribble and can drive to the basket and finish with contact. 

Durant also gets to the free-throw line as well as anyone in the NBA. During the regular season, he led the league in free throw attempts. 

There are several clutch players in the NBA today—Kobe Bryant and Ray Allen to name a few, but no player is more dependable than Kevin Durant. 

No matter who is defending him, he will score at least 25 points, and rarely gives away possessions. 

Durant takes good shots that are comfortable to him, and gets to the free throw line, where he is also among the league leaders in free throw percentage. 

There is no better pure scorer in the NBA playoffs than Durant, but he won’t take up too much of the offense to get his share of the points.

He is able to contribute a lot offensively and still allow his teammates to get the right number of shot attempts they need to be effective. 

To seal Game 5, Durant made two free throws to put the Thunder ahead with 46 seconds left in the game, then hit a 19-foot jumper to give OKC a 100-97 lead, which was the final score. 

In an ESPN.com article from April 27, Durant talked about the final few minutes. 

"I just tried to seize the moment and take advantage of it," Durant said. "They kept feeding me the rock, I was able to get to some good spots and fortunately I made some shots." 

A couple of good defensive plays in the final seconds secured the Thunder’s first playoff series win since 2005, when the franchise was in Seattle.

In the same ESPN.com article, Thunder forward Nick Collison described Durant's play in Game 5.

"Kevin just took over," Collison said. "It was a pretty unbelievable performance." 

Durant won his second consecutive scoring title this season, despite teammate Russell Westbrook scoring more and taking more shots this season. 

Kevin Durant is ready to lead the Thunder on a deep postseason run.

He knows he is the next great player in basketball, and has all the talent around him to make the Oklahoma City Thunder the NBA’s next great dynasty. 

By the end of the decade, Durant’s intensity and hard work will be displayed by championship banners hanging from the rafters in Oklahoma City. 

Nicholas Goss is an NBA and Oklahoma City Thunder Featured Columnist, follow him on Twitter for Thunder news and analysis.