Quote:Kevin Durant is not a kid anymore.

In the wake of the Thunder's 96-88 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday night in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, that fact rings through as clearly as ever. His face was a solemn mask of disappointment and regret as he walked off the floor, no longer the pained man-child at 22 years old struggling with his first real adversity -- as he was in 2012 when his OKC team that was supposed to be in the infancy of a dynasty lost in what remains their only NBA Finals appearance. He's a veteran now, an established star, and he knows where his career is.

The gangly, paper-thin youngster from Texas is gone, replaced by a man who had hoped to control his own championship destiny. Instead, Durant, who shot 10 of 19 from the field for 27 points in Game 7, heads into the summer earlier than he'd hoped, and earlier than a lot of people had come to expect after the Thunder went up on the Warriors 3-1 in pretty stunningly dominant fashion. In less than four weeks, he'll become the most coveted free agent in recent memory not named LeBron James.

Quote:For Durant, who turns 28 next season, this is his prime, right now. He has been elite for going on six seasons. But the man who famously told us he was tired of being second is no longer even that, having fallen behind both LeBron and Steph Curry. After dismantling Kawhi Leonard in systemic fashion and pushing the Warriors to the brink, it seemed that Durant had made his move back up the ladder, sliding himself into position to jump Curry after a conference finals upset and do the same to LeBron if the Thunder could find a way to beat Cleveland. It was his time.

Instead, he tumbles back down, with his current and future legacy now in question.

What makes this OKC playoff run all the more disappointing, despite its phenomenal success, is how much more Durant showed beyond scoring. He defended Leonard and Draymond Green (and Klay Thompson, and Curry) better than Curry could ever play that end of the court, whether Curry is "underrated" or not. Curry's assist rate was higher, but Durant consistently made plays to find teammates up until Game 6 against the Warriors, and averaged 40 minutes per game to Curry's 33.

He didn't shoot well, though. So Curry cancels all that out. And that matters within the context of his place in the modern hierarchy of superstars. In the easiest area of the game for the casual fan to point, Durant shot just 43 percent from the field this postseason. That's the crown. That's the weight. You have to be all those other things (if you're Durant), and you have to score lots of points on lots of shots while being wildly efficient. You must be all things to all people.