Dwight Howard joined the set of ESPN's First Take and ended up taking the unpopular choice in front of a Cleveland crowd, picking Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant over LeBron James as the best player in today's NBA.
The three-time Defensive Player of the Year praised Durant's defense throughout the season, as he has tapped into the one aspect of his potential that he hadn't fully developed until last year's playoff run.
“I will say this — KD is 7-feet. He is doing things that no other 7-footer has ever really done,” said Howard. “That's what sets him apart from any other players in this league, his ability to score from anywhere on the floor. He has great handles and the thing that he's doing this year better than any other year — he's blocking shots — his defense is crazy this year.”
Howard was then asked to pick between James and Durant as the best player in the league — a debate which has come up after two home outings in which Durant has gotten the upper hand.
“Those two guys (Durant and James) you can't really pick one,” Howard said before being brilliantly coerced by Max Kellerman into making a choice:
Kellerman: “Dwight, the Martians have the death beam pointed at Earth, they say ‘take us to your greatest basketball player or the Earth will be destroyed.' Are you taking them to KD or LeBron? You can only take one.
Howard: [ponders thoughts]
Kellerman: “The fate of the Earth is at stake.”
Howard: “I love LeBron, I love KD, but I'ma go with KD.”
It seems like Paul Pierce isn't the only player who favors the Slim Reaper over King James, as many have come to support the idea of the 2014 MVP having taken over the reign, at least for the time being.
Despite the opinion, both players have been playing at an ultimately high level and produced in bunches for their respective teams, making this battle of the titans every bit of what was expected coming into this 2017 NBA Finals.
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