KD and the Thunder fell short Tuesday night against the Portland Trailblazers. KD had his worst shooting game of the season, scoring 19 points on 10 of 26 shooting.

The Thunder look to end their two game losing streak against on Friday when they take on the Houston Rockets in OKC.

NEW YORK, Jan. 3, 2012 – The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant and the Miami Heat’s LeBron James today were named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Sunday, Dec. 25, through Sunday, Jan. 1.

Durant helped the Thunder to a 5-0 start as well, averaging a Western Conference-best 27.4 points (second overall), while shooting .547 from the field and .500 from beyond the arc. Durant opened the 2011-12 campaign with four 30-plus-point performances. He recorded a double-double – 30 points and 11 rebounds – in a 104-102 win over the Mavericks Dec. 29.

James guided the Heat to a 5-0 record to start the season, including an opening-night victory over the Dallas Mavericks in a rematch of the 2011 Finals. James led the league in scoring (29.6 ppg), paced the conference in steals (2.40 spg), and averaged a team high in assists (6.6 apg). James scored 34 or more points on three occasions, including 37 in Miami’s 105-94 win at Dallas Dec. 25.

Here is a recap of the week for Durant and James:

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
*Dec. 25 vs. Orlando: Tallied 30 points, six assists and five rebounds in a 97-89 win over the Magic.

*Dec. 28 @ Memphis: Posted 32 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in a 98-95 road victory over the Grizzlies.

*Dec. 29 vs. Dallas: Recorded a 30-point, 11-rebound double-double in a 104-102 home win over the Mavericks.

LeBron James, Miami Heat
*Dec. 25 @ Dallas: Recorded 37 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 105-94 win at Dallas.

*Dec. 28 @ Charlotte: Tallied 35 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals in a 96-95 road victory.

*Dec. 30 @ Minnesota: Recorded a 34-point, 10-assist double-double, and added eight assists and four steals in a 103-101 win at Minnesota.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Houston’s Kyle Lowry, Indiana’s Roy Hibbert, New York’s Carmelo Anthony, Minnesota’s Kevin Love, Orlando’s Dwight Howard and Phoenix’s Steve Nash.

You can’t win them all. After a 5-0 start, the Thunder came up short against the defending champion Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. KD finished with 27 points on 10-21 shooting, but you know all he cares about is the W.

KD finished with zero assists for the first time this season, and the Thunder only finished with 12 total as a team. Look for those numbers to shoot up in their next game. They play the Portland Trailblazers in OKC on Tuesday night.

Check out the new colorway of KD’s Nike Old Master Dri-Fit T-Shirt. The shirt’s Photo Blue/Team Orange colorway is sure to be a hit with Oklahoma City Thunder Fans. You can pick your KD Old Master T-Shirt at NikeStore.com by clicking on the photo below.

Check out this Wall Paper designer Ryan Hurst put together to commemorate KD’s game winner against the Mavs. Click on the photo below to download.

One of the most fun moments of 2011, a year dominated by much more painful ones, took place on Aug. 30, at Morgan State’s Hill Field House, when Kevin Durant showed up at a summer-league basketball game 45 minutes late.

And he was cheered by the standing room-only crowd and followed onto the court by a flood of kids, like a lanky, baby-faced Pied Piper.

It was just one example, on one steamy summer night, of how much the sports world needed a Kevin Durant, and how well Kevin Durant gave the sports world what it needed.

Is there a big-time professional athlete who did that better in 2011 than Durant?

Never mind just in the NBA, the league that seemed dedicated like few others to discovering new ways to alienate every segment of its fan base. The Most Valuable Player trophy for the 2010-11 season went to Derrick Rose and the Finals MVP went home with Dirk Nowitzki — but the NBA’s MVP for this past calendar year was the heart, soul and conscience of basketball, Kevin Durant.

There’s not much reason not to give him the award for all of sports, too.

Sure, it’s easy to turn away from the pros to find an example of the purity of sports, as competition, as healer, as expression of our better nature instead of our worse. There are middle school kids, grown-ups dealing with disabilities and hardships and tragedies, soldiers and civilians finding sanity in the insanity of war.

Who equates those values and principles with the money-drenched, entitlement-spoiled world of pro sports?

Equate it here.

CONTINUE READING

KD and the Thunder had an easy time with the struggling Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. KD only played 26 minutes and had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, yet the Thunder easily defeated the Suns 107-97.

The Thunder now head to Dallas to take on the Mavericks on Monday.

What’s good everyone? Nike asked me how I would make it count in 2012. I plan on making it count in 2012 by becoming a better leader.

What are your goals for 2012? Submit your make it count pledge here.

Happy New Year!

Fans: Be sure to check out Kevin on Twitter and Facebook.

Check out KD’s game winning shot against the Mavs from the point of view of his family’s courtside seats. The video was shot by KD’s friend @RMBWilliams

The colorways of the KD’s Nike Zoom KD IV signature shoe keep coming. The latest photos to hit the internet are for the Midnight Navy/Team Orange-White colorway. Look for this colorway to drop in Spring 2012.

Courtesy of @sneakerboxClyde