Six best moments from Warriors’ win over Cavs

Golden State Warriors’ Durant blocks LeBron James’ dunk attempt.

After the Warriors fell to the Cavaliers on Christmas, one of the narratives that become a talking point was the rivalry between Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Both superstar forwards have been at the top of the NBA for many years now. Yet, for the most part, it’s been pretty one sided.

James holds an advantage over Durant in their head-to-head record. Even with Monday’s huge 35 point victory, James is leading the all-time series 22-5. His Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals as Durant’s 30 points per game weren’t enough to stop James from winning his first NBA championship.

After the Christmas Day loss, trolls took to Twitter to write that it doesn’t matter what team Durant is on, he can’t defeat LeBron James. In a game in which the Warriors’ star clearly outplayed his biggest opponent, he was still characterized as being unable to win.

While Durant still has a ways to go until he can fully surpass James, he’s slowly proving that he’s truly an equal at this stage in their careers. He exacted his revenge, at least a little bit in Golden State’s huge win.

A few minutes into the third quarter, James had (future All-Star?) Zaza Pachulia on a switch. He dribbled out to the perimeter to get a running start. He drove, beat his man, and tried to rise up for the thunderous dunk.

Durant left Tristan Thompson and waited for James to take off. He met him at the top and sent his dunk attempt right back where it came from.

https://twitter.com/warriors/status/821185233785499648

Check out this other angle of the awesome block:

Durant has become one of the league’s best rim protectors. He’s completely elevated himself on that end of the floor, more than making up for the lost of Andrew Bogut. He had three blocks on the night, but none were quite as spectacular as this one.

LeBron James may be at the top right now, but make no mistake: Kevin Durant is coming for him.