That’s according to NBA legend Paul Pierce, who has challenged the Rockets to figure out a way to prevent Durant from taking over once again.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP has earned his right as one of, if not, the best players in the league due to his incredible scoring prowess.
But he still raised eyebrows earlier this month ahead of Game 3 against the LA Clippers when he confidently exclaimed: “I’m Kevin Durant. You know who I am.”
Such confident words meant Durant’s game was even more under the microscope from then on, but he has lived up to his declaration and then some.
He is only the fourth player in the last 30 years to score 200 points over five games in the postseason, joining Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
His impressive scoring rate has every NBA team wondering how to stop him.
The Clippers did manage it to some degree in the first two games of their series, partly due to Patrick Beverley’s intense defensive attitude.
Now the Rockets will be figuring out a way to keep Durant’s scoring down, and Pierce believes he knows what they should do.
“There’s nothing you can do defensively,” he said on ESPN’s The Jump.
“But they can put him in situations where Houston has Durant guarding Harden, a guy who gets fouled the most.
“If you’re able to get him in foul trouble, that’s away of slowing him down.
“But on the defensive end, there’s no way of stopping him.
“You have to go at him on the other end of the court.
“If he’s going to drop 35 tonight, we’re going to have to make him work tonight.
“So we’re going to get him in situations where he’s on Harden the majority of the night.
“If you get KD in foul trouble, you’ve got an opportunity.
“But on the flip side you’ve got to make him work on defence.
“You want to tire him out so he doesn’t have as much energy on the offensive end.”