#this is a post-series POSITIVE post only!!! Feel free to gush about other post-series arcs that you like on this post :D!!!

[fluffyartbl0g]

Redraw of the panels that SHATTERED MY HEART o(；△；)o!!! OG panels + Opinions on the Luffy separation arc under read more

Okay let me just go on a tangent about my feelings about the post-series Luffy separation arc, cause I think it gets way too much hate when it’s such a heartbreaking and well executed deviation from oda’s standard formula!!! I know that we all love monkey d. luffy and he’s LITERALLY the main character of the series, but it was also really nice to get more time to focus on the rest of the crew. But here’s the thing, even when Luffy wasn’t here, he was still here. And I’m not talking about the so called ‘blessings’ or whatever that kept SUSPICIOUSLY popping up around the crew when Luffy disappeared, I’m talking about the consequences that arised from him disappearing. We truly got to see how grand the effect luffy has had on the world around him, and how many lives he was able to touch ; - ; So even though luffy physically wasn’t present (I mean KIND OF but you know what I mean), this was still VERY MUCH a luffy arc imo. 

Oh man but I think Oda wrote luffy’s disappearance so well,,, I was sobbing for like 80 percent of this arc. Like just gradually seeing the crew’s deterioration as time passes by,,, but everyone has such unwavering faith in their captain, he HAS to come back cause Luffy always comes back. But here’s the thing, Luffy didn’t know what was happening to him when he started disappearing. But what he DID know is that he wasn’t sure if he was gonna be able to come back or not. And Luffy hates breaking promises- he’d never make a promise if he didn’t plan to keep it, and he’s not an idiot either, so when he just felt himself disappearing and saw zoro nearby... Instead of saying something like “I’ll be back!” and potentially making his crewmates wait for him forever, he tells zoro to “take care of the crew”... SOBBING AND CRYING T - T. So YES. the crew has unwavering faith in their captain. But. Luffy didnt say that he’d be coming back or anything. So what are they supposed to do really.

And it’s really hard to read at some parts, like it never loses the goofy tone that has been there throughout all of one piece and it’s really sweet to see everyone rely on each other to keep one another afloat, but the slight tension that keeps building up over the months while they keep looking for clues and answers... And how each lead keeps becoming a dead end... When it builds up and Usopp finally voices the thing that’s on everyone’s mind.

Oh man. I started crying so hard. It took 6 month for any one of them to say something. Like this is One piece. Of course Luffy is gonna come back eventually, it would be waay too dark otherwise... But Idk man, even I started to doubt that :((( But luckily. THIS IS ONE PIECE. So right after everyone started,,, well not exactly losing hope or anything (maybe a bit)? but going BATSHIT INSANE FROM THE REALITY THAT THEIR CAPTAIN MIGHT BE GONE FOR GOOD, they finally got a solid actual clue of what might’ve happened to luffy!!! And I’m SO GLADDDD!!!!

Omg and when they tracked down the pray-pray no mi user and finally got some answers out of him. OMG WAIT A MOMENT I REALLY LIKED IS WHEN PRIEST GUY IS LIKE “urerheg without luffy up there as a god the entire world may very well be destroyed cause the sun has been super unstable for centuries blah blah” and then Nami freaking PUMMELED THE GUY AND SHOVED HIM DOWN WITH HER STAFF AND

SOBBING CRYING SOBBING. THEY WOULD POTENTIALLY BLOW UP THE ENTIRE WORLD IF IT MEANT THAT THEIR CAPTAIN WOULDNT HAVE TO BE LONELY ; - ; KILL ME.

URGH I was really hoping that Luffy would return right once they beat him up cause I really really missed my boy, but honestly I think the final method of getting Luffy to return was super clever and absolutely worth the extra 3 weeks of waiting!!! I know that it was foreshadowed across the whole West Blue Saga and everything but I honestly had no clue it would end like that, DONT MAKE FUN OF ME :(((

When the crew finally got their captain back after 8 months of waiting... I mean they’ve been separated before for even longer periods of time, but they always knew that they’d be back together. This time they didn’t know. BUT AREHAHRGE ALL THE PAIN AND SUFFERING WAS SO WORTHIT WHEN THEY ALL FINALLY REUNITED T - T!!!!!! UWAHHWHAHWUAAGGHA!!! AND SEEING ALL THEIR ALLIES AND FRIENDS THEYVE MADE JUST CHEER AND CRY WHEN THEY HEAR THE NEWS!!!! I WOULD CHUCK ALL THE PANELS HERE IF I COULD BUT ID JUS T REACH THE IMAGE LIMIT BECAUSE ALL OF THEM MADE ME CRY ; - ;!!! Literally just read those 5 chapters in the arc finale cause,,,, man so good T - T

Anyways TLDR: The post-series luffy seperation arc is NOT BAD and you guys are JUST COWARDS AND LIARS!!!!

#tw unreality #post-series #one piece #op fanart #monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro #zolu #nami #usopp #straw hat pirates #gear 5 luffy #op spoilers #one piece spoilers #wano spoilers #please dni if ur a post-series one piece hater >:( #this is a post-series POSITIVE post only!!! Feel free to gush about other post-series arcs that you like on this post :D!!! #(for that person i scared: i put tw unreality higher just 4 u :3)

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 158

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 10 - “Save Nuts from Starvation!” Date watched: 13 November 2019 Original air date: 8 April 2007 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/L8xVIxB Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

“Nuts hasn’t eaten in two days, Coco!”

“Look, we all have different life experiences-coco. That’s what makes us each special and unique-coco. So forgive me for not knowing that two days is APPARENTLY a long time to not eat food-coco!”

We’ve established Natts House as a base of operations and a store, we’ve got a school journalist with a very questionable sense of ethics and integrity with the hots for Nuts, and now we have a store in desperate need of some business. Time to put the pieces together!

The Plot

Nuts is starving because his shop isn’t getting any business, so the girls try to figure out how to advertise for him. Karen reminds them that they aren’t allowed to bring jewelry to school, meaning they’ll have to work indirectly. Nozomi and Rin try to get Mika to run ads for the shop in the school newspaper, but she insists that this would violate her journalistic integrity. Komachi tries to talk to random girls at school and tell them about the store, but they aren’t very receptive to her. Karen gushes to the student council after a meeting but they seem taken aback by her unusual enthusiasm. Urara even tries wearing a necklace while making an appearance on a local variety show. Unfortunately, she’s just a face in the crowd, and doesn’t appear for long.

for once, “spot the main character” is actually difficult

Having all failed spectacularly, they decide to fall back on the classic approach: handing out fliers! They collectively design one, get a Pinky to duplicate them (I guess it’s cheaper than a photocopier), and hit the streets to hand them out. Nozomi gives one to a man that turns out to be Gamao, who is upset that the girls defeated him and (in his mind) kept him from getting a paycheck, which would have allowed him to buy food. In his anger, he decides to suck all the girls into a chasm in the ground and try to defeat them, whether in an attempt at petty revenge for his own poor life choices, or to try to get the Dream Collet and return to Nightmare. He turns his coin purse into a Kowaina and throws them around a little bit himself, but Urara seriously scolds him for blaming his faults on them, rather than himself. After all, both he and Nuts are in a position where they can’t afford food, but Nuts is actually taking action while Gamao is moping around and shifting blame. Rouge and Aqua defeat the Kowaina while Dream handles the toady bastard.

They escape the chasm and return to handing out fliers. Masuko Mika happens to be passing through the square and absentmindedly takes a flier from Nuts, doing a double take as she recognizes him as the mysterious hottie she devoted the paper to. Next thing we see, Natts House is flooded with students from L’ecole Cinq Lumieres and Nozomi and Rin are talking with Mika about her apparent change of heart. She insists that she isn’t promoting Natts House, she’s reporting on important news to the community. Rin snarks that she’s just fangirling, but regardless, Nuts is making money and he genuinely smiles as the episode closes out.

The Analysis

In the first place, I like the continued world-building in this episode. Natts House doesn’t magically attract customers simply by existing, so they have to advertise for it. It’s a little lesson in business for the audience, and it also makes room for a lesson about the value of Hard Work (and Guts). On the one hand, you have Gamao, who failed at his job, ran away instead of telling his boss that he failed, and as a result, has not been paid and cannot eat. Instead of trying to find another job, he mopes around and blames the girls for his failure. On the other side, you have Nuts, who works with the girls to find customers for his store in order to afford food. I don’t agree with his attitude towards charity, but he’s always been stubborn. You also get to continue Mika’s little story arc from the previous episode, where she claims journalistic integrity but basically just runs a tabloid. Fortunately, her infatuation with Nuts works for the girls’ benefit again, essentially advertising Natts House by reporting on its owner and his place of work. The contrast between her words and actions makes for a fun source of ironic humor.

We also get to see a new side of Urara here. She is almost scary in her conviction to the need for advertising. All the other girls are taken aback by her abrupt change in personality.

Being an actress, who not only has to market herself as a product, but also markets products for other people, it makes sense that she is the most attuned to the importance of advertising. We see this aggressive sincerity again during the fight with Gamao when she scolds him for being lazy, contrasting what he and Nuts have done to alleviate their hunger. She is righteously indignant, and it’s wonderful to see this normally aloof girl take a firm stance. I don’t mean to suggest that her morals have ever been in question, as we saw her strong will in action from her first transformation, but her typical behavior is a bit more quirky and less aggressive than this.

In a related case, this episode has some fantastic facial expressions and reactions from most of the cast. Here’s the group’s reaction to Urara’s sternness:

Karen telling Nozomi that no, she cannot bring even just a few accessories to school to showcase:

The girls’ reaction after Urara’s TV appearance turns out to be miniscule:

Mika declaring she will NEVER allow advertising in her paper:

Mika recognizing Nuts:

And Nozomi and Rin recognizing Nuts in Mika’s paper:

There are a lot of good moments though, and I can’t bog down this post with ALL of them, so check out the gallery link at the top of the post for a better rundown.

This episode also gives us a merchandising opportunity! Nozomi completes work on the flier, but Rin points out that they can’t hand out a single flier, and Nuts and Coco drop two huge stacks of paper in front of her for her to draw on. Her reaction to being told she has to make a few hundred copies by hand is......

in a word, exploitable (feel free to save this and use it as a reaction gif)

However, it turns out that one of the Pinkies they’ve caught can, as Nuts put it, “Call in customers” in such ways as being a photocopier. This involves the very detailed and well-animated process of pulling a Pinkie card out of the storage case, inserting it into the Dream Collet and pulling it out, with accompanying lights and sounds.

It’s a pretty transparent toy plug, and you really kinda wonder how the girls don’t have access to a photocopier anywhere. I mean sure, maybe not IMMEDIATE access, but it would have taken less time to find one and make 500-1000 copies than for Nozomi to hand-draw them all. Oh well, toys.

This is a really good episode in a lot of ways, and even the brief pause to advertise the Dream Collet toy in the middle isn’t that intrusive. We get to see these girls just.... exist, and interact, and it’s fun. I forgot how much I enjoyed this part of the series because it’s been so long since I watched it, and all I really remember in detail are the episode where Urara hosts a stage show at an amusement park, Milk’s introduction, the mid-season climax, and the Christmas episode because I watched it last year. I really enjoy the little episodes that dive into the characters’ lives a little bit and show us how the world works, and they also take the time to give a lesson on personal responsibility and drive without making it too ham-fisted. Side note, since Gamao's last appearance was in episode 3, he hasn’t fought the full assembled team, and he’s surprised that there are five girls now. Also, since he did only appear the one time, Rin barely remembers him, as she turns to Urara to ask who he is. It’s an amusing moment that sells how terrible he’s been at his job so far.

This episode could have been preachy and hamfisted, but they deftly balance all the necessary elements, inject just the right amount of comedy into it, and make good use of their animation tools. It’s solid art and animation for Precure, with some wonderful facial expressions and no noodle people. Even Nuts, eternally the tsundere, cracks a few genuine smiles in this episode. It gives me the warm fuzzies inside. The next one, however, is even better. Next time, on Precure Daily, Nozomi and Coco’s hot air balloon ride. You know the one. Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 2 Kettei!

#Precure #Pretty Cure #Yes! PreCure 5 #YPC510 #PCD158

[aion-rsa]

The Simpsons Season 32 Episode 7 Review: Three Dreams Denied

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This The Simpsons review contains spoilers.

The Simpsons Season 32 Episode 7

The Simpsons season 32, episode 7 carves the turkey a little thin for a pre-Thanksgiving offering. “Three Dreams Denied” has all the makings of a full and funny meal for the whole family. But a half hour later, you wish there was more stuffing. The ballooning game hunters even miss the flying turkey in the opening gag, which ends with the couch so exasperated she tells the family to sleep on the bed.

Comic Book Guy’s “Comicalusa” experience is a wild ride from the moment the patronizing pilot taunts his passengers with Superman sightings. The owner of Springfield’s only comic book store then sets about doing what he was born to do, paying the mockery forward on every aspect of the things he loves most. Who was the Joker, he asks, before dismissively concluding none of them.

If only someday people like him could make fun of people like him for working at a real comic book organization — not DC, but a real one — he would be transported to a superheroic fate. This week’s featured Springfield resident’s question, the best question ever asked at a comic book convention, is quite good — Superman-origin-story good: Are comic book mythologies the new religion, and if so, shouldn’t comic books be tax-free? He earns a celebratory pretzel for that.

Comic Book Guy’s dream costume should be standard issue at any convention, it allows him to alternate bites between a choice of beverages, fries, hot dogs, and tacos, which loom large in his legend. A Krustyburger 100-taco-for-$100-weekend is the stuff of Doctor Who marathons, and here he is riding escalators with the Who’s Who of Doctor Who. But Comic Book Guy’s real dream is to work at Marvel — to be plucked out of a crowd of complaining fanboys and lord over the fate of the Avengers.

“Comicalusa” is Burning Man for nerds, twice removed because Burning Man is also really just for nerds. Here he is with his idols, creative geniuses who have all blocked him on Twitter. And Comic Book Guy freezes up. It really is unlike him not to at least give an impromptu ultimate nerd variation. He had two steps to get it together when he stepped into third position. It feels, though it’s not said, like self-sabotage. It is sad that Comic Book Guy is ultimately saddled with the “worst question ever” title, but it is a worthy comeuppance for the man’s whole back-storied attitude.

This isn’t Comic Book Guy’s first humiliation at the hands of his, for lack of a better word, peers. He’s been outclassed by competitors, guest panelists, wise-ass kids and people he’s actually trained. He ultimately is redeemed by the only person who could never outclass him because he barely knows the meaning of class, or homework or the difference between arts ‘n crafts glue and oatmeal.

Ralph Wiggum, coming off a loss for first triangle to an empty chair, is like a sticky-fingered Baby Yoda, offering inscrutable answers to Comic Book Guy’s universe. It is really a very subversively touching scene because what Ralph brings back up in Comic Book Guy is the bile which he malevolently bestows on kids just like Ralph on tap.

Lisa’s crush is presented quite musically. She gushes in the key of Eeee. But the fight for first chair is best played in a minor key, regardless of the seemingly meat-free-sweetness of her blue-eyed boy. But Blake’s (Ben Platt) adorable blue contact lenses are as fake as the vegan BLT he was bragging about.

For a final insult, his four-note honk in competition for the first chair saxophone part is a deliberately humiliating bad run which is only marginally better than Lisa’s. We don’t actually even know if he can play. He seems like he might be such an evil little boy that he will continue to throw hot dog water on anyone who dares to out-reed him, whether he can play or not. Lisa, whose love of the music can inspire mall stores to close for jazz appreciation, is addicted to playing for free.

Surprisingly this subplot has the most satisfying payoff, even though it’s the only one Lisa estimates cannot be fixed. The song that plays during the closing coda is an inspired variation on the song “Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)” from Annie Get Your Gun. It says so much more and ends with a big whoop. It is a highlight.

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We all know how much trouble the voice actors have been to the networks when it comes to The Simpsons, and the writers have some fun with it through Bart’s introduction to the game. “Who knew it was so easy to become a working actor?” the young vocalist says admiringly as he rakes in more money in one day than Homer does in a year. This isn’t the first time the boy has out-earned his father; it happens at least once a season.

While Comic Book Guy is away at the convention, he leaves the store in the hands of a veteran voice actor. The guy’s got a great repertoire from Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future to Scratchy from the “Itchy and Scratchy” cartoons. When he seals the deal with a classic, the rules of Cider House, Bart is floored enough to admit if he knew what that was he’d be even more impressed.

This is such a perfectly Bart line that it cements the character and leads to the chance to mock the network’s treatment of The Simpsons. Homer doesn’t believe a check from Warner Bros. Animation is any good. Bart is still getting his head around how any show which takes longer than a day to do a cartoon is trying to milk their studio dry.

Bart’s gender neutrality could have been mined for more comic possibilities. The mini-arc of him getting beaten up for playing a girl to proving how rad it is to be a unicorn-riding action figure who kills every adult on his show hits all the proper notes, but will it get him on a float on Pride Day? His accent is inconsistent, and his hetero normative tendencies freak out the bullies.

Fight as they often do, Lisa and Bart share some of the warmest moments of the series. Whether hugging as co-losers in hockey games or gaping in awe as Homer gets something right, they work best as a unit. When Lisa tells Bart he’s brave and should be proud of what he’s doing, it registers, but it feels more like he appreciated the dangerous aspects of playing a badass Queen.

The episode has its share of quick sight gags. It opens with Bart stuffing a chocolate bar into the cryogenic-plastic covering of a priceless comic. Martin Prince can be found shoved in the Springfield Elementary trophy case towards the beginning, and again hanging on a clothesline. When Comic Book Guy sees the opportunity to snatch and sell the rare, unopened, Radioactive Man toy he covers up his shrieks of pleasure by chortling into unsold Hulk hands. Good thing his girlfriend isn’t there to see that. The music teacher has to drown out the discordant cacophony of his band with noise canceling headphones and fistfuls of CBD gummies. The bum-not bug zapper is also an inspired visual.

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The Simpsons are always self-referential, but it gets very subliminal in “Three Dreams Denied.” Yeardley Smith, who voices Lisa, made a guest appearance on last week’s episode, “Podcast News.” She was very adamant about not mentioning the voice she’s most known for. This week, Bart is playing a voiceover actor. I’m sure Professor Frink could come up with some reason this somehow flays the laws of animation physics. This is probably why the episode falls short. No one episode of The Simpsons can handle the voiceover click-track continuum, smooth jazz and the ultimate question to ask at Comicalusa. It’s just too much.

In the past, The Simpsons could have borne the extra weight. They’ve always had cross plots, subplots and occasional mini-arcs which play out under the radar. Each of the three stories are strong, funny and have the pathos or peril needed to make them great. In that sense, “Three Dreams Denied” is very much operating in The Simpsons early mode. While the journey flies by without too many bumps, the episode lives up to its title.

The post The Simpsons Season 32 Episode 7 Review: Three Dreams Denied appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[flauntpage]

Kevin Durant is About to Eclipse LeBron James as the NBA's Best Player

"Let's say you've got 40 apples on your tree. I could eat about 30 of them, but I've begun limiting myself to 15 or 16. Let's take the wide-open three and the post-up at the nail. Those are good apples. Let's throw out the pull-up three in transition and the step-back fadeaway. Those are rotten apples. The three at the top of the circle, that's an in-between apple. We only want the very best on the tree." — Kevin Durant, four years ago, to Sports Illustrated On Sunday night, moments after Kevin Durant eviscerated the defending world champions for the second time in four nights, Paul Pierce, swept up in the intoxication of a budding dynasty, declared on national television that the world has a new best basketball player. He's wrong. Despite Durant averaging 35.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.5 blocks while making 56.3 percent of his shots, 50 percent of his threes, and 90.9 percent of his free throws, LeBron James is still the best player in the NBA Finals, the NBA, and the known universe. He notched a triple-double in Game 2 and is playing like a tank driven by Lewis Hamilton. The gap between these two heavyweights—maybe the very best we've ever seen at their natural position—is more narrow today than ever before. But it's impossible remove the outside factors—supporting cast, playing era—from the comparison.

Elected most-likely-to-succeed James as the NBA's best since he took the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Finals in 2012, Durant has been widely accepted to be—off and on, thanks to multiple surgeries and Steph Curry's supernatural surge—the world's second-best player. Now 28 years old and the most dominant force on perhaps the greatest team ever assembled, he is possibly at the peak of his first-ballot-Hall-of-Fame powers, posting numbers that rival or exceed James' postseason output at the very same age. If these Finals hold, and Durant continues to dominate his individual matchup with LeBron while his Golden State Warriors thump the Cleveland Cavaliers two more times, it won't be ludicrous to take a closer look at the (highly subjective yet forever titillating) superstar standings before next season's opening night. James and Durant are, in a vacuum, flawless players right now. They're mirroring one another in this series, each serving as a fulcrum for just about any lineup their respective coaching staffs run. (They butted heads at center when Golden State decided to throw Durant at the five after Draymond Green picked up his fourth foul just four minutes into the third quarter.) Between the two, Durant is the better defender and rebounder, as was displayed in Game 2, when he uncurled his wingspan to swat perimeter shots in help situations, and rejected a Kevin Love turnaround—almost all resulted in Warrior points a few seconds later in transition. When a 50-50 ball flies off the rim, Durant is a lock to grab it himself or tip it to a teammate. Save Giannis Antetokounmpo or Anthony Davis, he can soar higher than just about everyone else in the league. Meanwhile, James can singlehanded make a G-League castoff look serviceable on the sport's biggest stage; those "smartest passer ever" conversations that were once hyperbolic may now be over.

Photo by Kyle Terada - USA TODAY Sports

But in a league where offense rules, Durant is already the superior all-around scorer and displays far more confidence beyond the arc and in the mid-range, whether pulling up off the dribble or launching one on the catch. He's made 63 percent of his long twos and 42.6 percent of his above-the-break threes in the playoffs. Those numbers are unfair in a video game, and there's essentially no strategy to bring them down. Defenses just have to hope he misses. Here's where the conversation bogs down: Detaching James or Durant from their environment, role, and supporting cast is impossible. These contextual factors add dimensions to a discussion that's already complex and difficult. Kyrie Irving, Love, and the group of outside threats up and down Cleveland's roster make James' life easier, but none come close to rivaling the effect a transcendent two-time MVP like Curry has on all his teammates, especially Durant. As we've seen in these Finals, whenever Durant and Curry screen for each other (on or off the ball), it puts the defense in an impossible situation. One only needs a split second and a millimeter of space to kill you. The other is a seven-foot grenade launcher. Switch, and there's a definite chance either Durant or Curry will have at least one mismatch to exploit. Traps are useless unless a third defender rotates over with perfect timing, and even then there'll be an open spot-up shooter in the corner after the first pass catalyzes their attack. Here are two numbers that help illustrate the general disparity in how LeBron and Durant operate: the percentage of shots that are unassisted and their respective assist rates. Each chronicles the playing style of their respective organizations. Golden State gushes with unselfish, intelligent passers who've helped unlock Steve Kerr's vision of an offensive system where everyone feels connected and useful. It's picture perfect. There's almost too much ball and man movement, with more space than necessary for any NBA player (let alone two of the five best in the world). In these playoffs, 44 percent of Durant's shots are unassisted, which is exactly 20 percent less than LeBron, whose assist percentage is also nearly double Durant's. If this sounds like James' degree of difficulty is much higher than KD's, that's because it is. Creating your own shot is a lot harder than having someone else do it for you.

Photo by Kelley L Cox - USA TODAY Sports

While James needs to get his supporting cast going, Durant can focus on firing off as many clean catch-and-shoot missiles as he wants. When those get boring or the defense alters their coverage, he'll seek out a back-door lob or set a ball screen and force his opponents to hurt themselves. Easy-opportunity looks in transition have never been more plentiful or glorious—so much of his individual attack is against a panicked opponent that's backpedaling on their heels. He rarely finds himself going one-on-one against a lock-down defender. Going back to the quote that hangs atop this story: the fat has officially been sliced from Durant's already-lean game. Every apple is delicious, and there's no downside to ignoring the bruised ones that grace his plate. The duties he shouldered in a previous life are now delegated to an excellent complementary cast that's plenty capable of carrying them out at a level the sport's never really seen. The sum of Durant's net rating in his previous six postseasons is +17.8. His net rating in the 2016-17 playoffs is +20.6. He is a great all-around player, but it's impossible to accurately dole out credit for his efficient numbers. How much of all this is due to Durant being awesome and how much of it's because he doesn't have to run pick-and-rolls, set teammates up, or initiate offense almost every time his team finds itself in the half-court? This doesn't mean Durant is incapable of performing those responsibilities—according to Synergy Sports, he ranks in the 100th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball-handler on possessions where he shoots, passes, draws a foul, or turns it over—but volume matters. In that regard, a sizable gap remains between James and everyone else. It feels like a million years ago, but Durant didn't suit up for two games during Golden State's first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, and they still won both by a combined 35 points. When he's on the floor without Curry in these playoffs, the Warriors' net rating is -6.7. As awe-inspiring as he is, how much should it matter that the Warriors don't "need" KD like the Cavaliers need LeBron? The answer to who's better is simple. But what we're learning in this series is that Durant has never been closer to eclipsing the icon he's chased for the majority of his career. And even with all the benefits of playing with this superteam, Durant has separated himself from every other superstar who deserves to be in this conversation. It's only a matter of time before he also passes LeBron James.

Kevin Durant is About to Eclipse LeBron James as the NBA's Best Player published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv