Kevin Durant Will Lead the Oklahoma City Thunder To a Probable NBA Title

Kevin Durant had a wickedly good summer.

Specifically, in the month of August, he scored 66, 44 (an off-night) and 59 points in various summer-league games. In the process, he lit up every would-be defender, from LeBron James to his own teammate James Harden.

He dared people to stop him. He accepted all challenges. He played with venom in his soul.

You might say these games were only exhibitions. But what they showed was that Kevin Durant, the leader of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder unit and the NBA's current scoring champ, is on a mission. Clearly that mission is to win an NBA championship.

Durant's summer league explosions were meant to send a message: Last year's loss in the Western Conference Finals to the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks was last year. And, that it is going to take some NBA force as yet unknown to derail his championship aspirations in 2011-2012.

Over the summer, while many players were mourning the lockout, Kevin Durant got better. His ball handling is much improved, he is even more lethal from long range, and he creates separation from his defender much more efficiently.

But for the doubters, the fact is that aside from his “hot fun in the summertime,” Kevin Durant's regular season NBA resume now makes him the league's most imposing player, bar none. And he will be the leader and starter on the 2012 Olympic team, should he no doubt choose to participate.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, a definite favorite to capture this year's NBA title, is obviously all the better for Kevin Durant's single-minded, exponential improvement and determination

As quoted from CBSsports.com: “The young, deep [Oklahoma City] Thunder arguably bring the fewest questions to the table of any NBA team to start the 2011-2012 season.”

Indeed, they have quite a few answers: Russell Westbrook, an all-star caliber guard who can average 25 points per game over a full campaign, is one of those solutions. And they have James Harden, a budding NBA star who brings haunting, versatile scoring and defensive skills to the table.

In this trio, the Thunder have the most underrated “big three” in the league.

Additionally in their favor, the Thunder's center, Kendrick Perkins and starting power forward Serge Ibaka (10 ppg. and 8 rpg.), know their roles explicitly. They rebound, block shots, and defend with a passion.

The Oklahoma City Thunder is a team on the rise. Perhaps this is their biggest selling point. The average age of their projected starting five is about 25 years old. They can hang for a full NBA semester. And, entering this season, they have now played together for a couple of years. They mesh.

Moreover, they have one of the strongest benches in the league with the likes of center Nazr Mohammed, James Harden or Thabo Sefolosha, Nick Collison and Daequan Cook.

Last year Oklahoma City narrowly missed representing the West in the Finals. Don't expect that to happen this year.

Believe it: Kevin Durant will vocally insist that Russell Westbrook play unselfishly. If Westbrook refuses, he will be traded. It is simple as that.

Otherwise, Kevin Durant will lead his NBA troops to their probable championship by example.

As head coach Mike Krzyzewski said when Durant led the U.S to the 2010 FIBA world title:

"

Kevin brought maturity and a winning mindset to every practice and every game...He was a critical part of our success, and his teammates wanted him to have the ball in critical situations. They knew he'd deliver, and he did repeatedly. He's a very special player.

"

The Western Conference is more difficult than the Eastern Conference, with Dallas, two Los Angeles squads, Memphis and possibly San Antonio all contenders. But Oklahoma City is battle-tested, individually resolved to win and athletically, compositionally superior to their adversaries.

Thus, they should prevail and bring the championship Larry O'Brien Trophy to the city with perhaps the NBA's best cheerleaders, the capital city of the state of Oklahoma.