Kevin Durant is the ultimate weapon, says Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr
Watch Rockets @ Warriors Game 1 via a free live stream on skysports.com, the Sky Sports mobile or YouTube on Sunday night from 8:30pm
Saturday 27 April 2019 14:08, UK
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr called Kevin Durant the "ultimate weapon" after his star scored 50 points to seal a 4-2 first-round playoff series win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Durant matched the NBA record for points scored in one half of a postseason game with 38 points in the opening two quarters of Game 6 to ensure the Warriors advanced past their dogged opponents.
With the game well in hand, he added 12 more in the second half to reach a half-century of points on 15-of-26 shooting, including 6-of-14 from three-point range.
The Warriors will now meet the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semi-finals. You can watch Game 1 of the series on Sky Sports Arena or via a free live stream on skysports.com, the Sky Sports mobile or YouTube on Sunday night from 8:30pm.
"It was one the greatest performances I've ever seen in my life," said Kerr, who won three NBA titles playing alongside Michael Jordan for the Chicago Bulls and two more with Tim Duncan with the San Antonio Spurs.
"Kevin knew we need him badly and he just took over the game in the first half and set a great tone. He just carried us these last few games of the series.
"He's the ultimate weapon because there's no defense for Kevin. No matter what anybody does, he can always get a good shot."
Clippers coach Doc Rivers said everything his team tried to stop Durant proved fruitless. "When he gets it going like that, he's one of those guys, you just have to hope he misses," he said. "We put about everybody on him. He's just a great player."
Those sentiments were echoed by Clippers players Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley.
"I promise we tried! We had several different coverages for KD…", said Williams, before his team-mate cut him off.
"… And they didn't work!", chimed in Beverley.
"There's no scheme, no defense, no nothing that you can do with special people," Williams continued. "He is one of them and he showed it tonight. He put [his team-mates] on his shoulders. He proved he's exactly who people think he is, who he thinks he is himself. He did it, and you tip your head to a guy like that."
Reflecting on his series-clinching performance, Durant said: "Everybody on the team knows how the game is being played, who needs touches and who we need to run offense through. Everyone has a good feel and IQ for the game each night.
"I scored 50 points but I missed some good shots tonight. I felt I could have made a few more. I felt great. It was a fun game, for sure."
