Can Durant Break Scoring Curse?

Durant averaged 27.7 PPG this season,
leading the NBA for the second
straight year.

If history stays true in recent years the Oklahoma City Thunder will not reach the Western Conference Finals in 2011.

Many believe, with the addition of center Kendrick Perkins from the Boston Celtics, the young Thunder have added the final piece to the puzzle and could legitimately challenge the Los Angeles Lakers for a spot in the NBA Finals.

In only his fourth season in the league after being drafted second overall in the 2007, Kevin Durant has led the NBA in scoring back-to-back years.

That might not be such a good thing for Oklahoma City heading into this year's postseason. Since the 2001-02 NBA season the NBA scoring leader has failed to lead his team to the conference finals. Former NBA point guard Allen Iverson was the last player to do so, averaging 31.4 points per game in the 2000-01 season.

That year Iverson led the Philadelphia 76ers to the Eastern Conference Finals in a thrilling seven-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks, eventually reaching the NBA Finals. The 76ers would lose to the Lakers in five games, paving the way for the NBA's next dynasty. Iverson would lead the league in scoring again the following season, but his team was bounced out in the first-round by the Celtics.

A trend was born.

Since that time, the NBA has seen some of the most elite players lead the league in scoring and not reach the conference finals. The list of players includes Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and now Durant.

A year after James led the the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first Finals appearance in franchise history, for the first time in his career, he led the NBA in scoring (30.0 PPG), but unable to get them back to the promise land, losing to the eventual NBA champion Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Durant and Co. are in for a hard-fought battle in this year's postseason, no longer playing the role of underdog after capturing the No. 4 seed in the West. The road does not start easy for the Thunder with them opening up a first-round matchup with one of the hottest teams in the NBA during the second half, the No. 5 seeded Denver Nuggets.

Not only will the young man out of Texas need to live up to the expectations this season has brought. but will need to break a scoring curse to reach them.