James and Durant warm up in MVP race

Nothing compares to a good individual rivalry in the NBA. Since one-on-one is the name of the game in the League, individual match-ups are analyzed and torn apart. Fans ask the age-old question of who is better than who? By the time a game is over, we sometimes even get a definitive answer.

Until recently, we hadn’t seen any huge individual rivalries in quite a while. While Kobe Bryant has won five titles over the past decade-and-a-half, other players have come and gone. But Kevin Durant and LeBron James have changed that. Since meeting up in the 2011 NBA Finals, Durant and LeBron have been known as the two best players in the league and everything they do gets compared.

During this 2013-2014 season people have talked about Durant being the best player in the NBA. It has become clear, based on his recent play, that LeBron has taken offense to this and has stepped up his game to prove that he is still the King of the NBA. While Durant is the better shooter of the two, LeBron is still the best player in the NBA overall. That has not changed.

Durant vs. LeBron has become a matchup that is an event each and every time that the two match-up. Since 2010, when LeBron joined the Heat, Miami has a record of 9-4 against Oklahoma City, including their NBA Finals matchup.

Now why is this? It is actually very simple in the fact that the Thunder just don’t matchup very well against the Heat. I believe that if the Thunder and Heat met up in the Finals again, it would be the same boring outcome that is was back in 2011 when the Heat won the series 4 games to 1.

People can talk about how the Heat aren’t as good this season and how they won’t win a third NBA title in a row, but I give them a very good chance to do so. Until the Heat no longer have LeBron James on their roster, I will probably pick them to win each season. In my opinion, there are only three teams right now that could actually beat the Heat in a playoff series based on match-ups.

The Pacers and Spurs have proven they can play with the Heat so I give them a realistic chance to do so. The third team may be of a surprise to people but I think that the Rockets could give the Heat a run for their money. Having James Harden, the size of Dwight Howard, and all the shooters they have could cause problems for Miami.

The debate of Durant vs. LeBron is just getting started and I am excited to watch these two great players go at each other over the next several seasons. For now, though, the debate needs to stop because LeBron James is the best player in the world and will hold that title for a long time. Until Kevin Durant starts adding some NBA titles to his resume he will be second to his rival and friend LeBron James.