How quickly we forget

On the eve of the NBA regular season coming to a close and the playoffs kicking off, I thought I'd address America's love affair with the Durantula.

Kevin Durant (or KD as I call him) is a phenomenon the likes of which we haven't seen in years, right?....right? What a force scoring the rock. What an unstoppable machine. Someone over 6'8" that can shoot that well, has that type of handle, can drive with ease. He must be peerless. He is going to win seven scoring titles, at least, including 2009-2010 with Lebron resting.

I cannot remember the last time someone this big/long could score like this. That was actually 'you' talking right there, not me. Me personally, I CAN remember, because it happened in the 2000s. It happened while everyone who says they can't remember it happening was alive and kicking. And it was done by someone who, funny enough, still plays in the league with the aforementioned Durantula. His nickname isn't as catchy or as cool; they just call him T-Mac.

For those with really short memories, Tracy McGrady won two scoring titles. He has the measurements, clocking in at a slick and nimble 6'9" last time I checked. Once upon a time, he had the sweet jumper where distance was no object, as well as the silky smooth driving ability. He was even known to throw himself alley-oops off the backboard, just to wrack up the assist and the points. (I'm not an official scorer. Does he get the assist and the points? Perhaps a rebound and the points? Either way, he was padding those stats.) 'People' want to say Durant is legendary because of how he is dominating so young. After all, he is only 21. Well, McGrady, after deciding to skip his year of college, went pro out of high school, and it took him all the way to age 24 to win the league scoring title. So Durant may have him by a few years...assuming he actually wins a scoring title this year or the next.

History has been so unkind to Tracy then, simply because of the postseason failures. It's common knowledge. I mean, just look at his numbers; his team could never win a playoff series with him, those numbers must be terrible. 33.8 30.8 31.7 30.7 25.3 27.0 Those are Tracy McGrady's playoff scoring averages with the Magic and Rockets respectively. Not too shabby. I guess we will have to wait a week to see if KD can live up to that legend.