Kevin Durant is not the best player in basketball…yet

Kevin Durant, the Golden State Warriors’ superstar, looks like he could win his first Finals MVP. He isn’t better than LeBron James yet though.

Kevin Durant is two wins away from securing his first NBA championship. If he continues to play the way he’s played through the first two games, he’ll be named the Finals MVP. He’s been dominant throughout the playoffs, peaking during the Finals (though only through two games, thus far).

He’s gone head to head with the mighty LeBron James. The reigning Finals MVP had his team playing at a high level heading into the Finals, losing just one game after the first three rounds. Many were saying that he was playing the best basketball of his illustrious career.

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Durant has outplayed James. The Warriors’ superstar has been better than his opponent in every facet of the game. At times, he’s made James look human, an unrecognizable version of himself.

Durant is averaging 35.5 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. He’s also getting it down defensively by blocking 2.5 shots per game and coming away with 1.5 steals per game while casing general chaos for Cleveland. He’s shooting 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from three.

He’s been dominant. He’s been so dominant that many are saying that his performance is indicative of a power shift amongst the league’s best. There are those who are calling Durant the best player in the league, not James.

Kevin Durant is elite. He’s a future Hall of Famer. He’s one of the best players in today’s game. He isn’t the best though. Not yet.

For right now, it is James. He’s the reigning Finals MVP, a defending champion, and a four-time MVP. He just had one of his best offensive seasons of his career. He’s still on top.

James is having a really good Finals series. The Warriors are neutralizing the rest of the Cavaliers, but the Akron-native is still doing his thing. James is averaging a triple-double against the Warriors after two games.

Even if we consider the NBA Finals to be the deciding factor in who sits atop of the league, then we are only two games into the series. Things can turn around instantly. Warriors fans are all too familiar with that.

But the best player title goes to more than just the player who performs best in the Finals. While it’s the most important time of the season, it’s also a very small sample. Do four to seven games mean more than 82 to 100 games? Does anyone think 2015 was actually a better player than James or Stephen Curry?

Furthermore, head to head dominance isn’t the only factor either. For example, does anyone really think Jason Terry was better than LeBron James? Kyrie Irving outplayed Curry last season, but no reasonable person would suggest that he’s actually a better player than the two-time MVP.

The title of best player in the league is a combination of those things. It also includes winning. Regular season should also be considered. It’s a bit of everything.

For right now, James is on top. But Durant, who has been second for years, is next up. He’s in line for that title, especially if he wins a championship while dominating James.

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James is 32 while Durant will be turning just 29. Even the Cavs’ superstar isn’t immune to Father Time, regardless of how great he takes care of himself. The minutes he’s played over the course of seven straight deep playoff runs will catch up to his body eventually. He’s already lost a step defensively.

For right now, James deserves the top spot. Durant is closing the gap fast. There’s no knowing when it’ll happen exactly, but we’ll just know

Barring some catastrophic incident, it will be a Golden State Warrior that dethrones LeBron James. Whether it’s Kevin Durant or, even, Stephen Curry, the King will soon fall. For now though, he sits at the throne while the Dubs are breaking down his kingdom, one three at a time.