The 2026 NBA postseason is set to kick off on Saturday, as soon as the play-in tournament wraps up. To date, the seven seeds in each conference have been wrapped up, as the Portland Trail Blazers claimed that spot in the Western Conference, while the Philadelphia 76ers claimed that spot in the Eastern Conference.

The eighth seeds are still up for grabs, as the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic are facing off for the final spot in the East on Friday, while the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns are facing off for the final spot in the West on Friday. The Western Conference game will be an interesting one for Jalen Green, who faced off against the Warriors last postseason as a member of the Houston Rockets and was unable to produce at a high level consistently, outside of Game 2, when he had 38 points.

Green, of course, was traded for Kevin Durant in the summer, alongside Dillon Brooks in the blockbuster of the offseason. Durant missed the postseason entirely last year in Phoenix and was swept in the first round the year before.

Prior to that, Durant was swept in the first round once again, during his final season with the Brooklyn Nets. All in all, Durant has made it past the first round of the postseason just once since the 2021-22 season.

He’s surely seeking to maximize and take advantage of this postseason trip with the Rockets. And despite the losses and/or postseason failures, Durant’s love for the sport remains strong, even though it’s been tested, as he explained.

“The younger guys, it’s a little easier to love the game when you’re fresh in. But when you’ve seen it all, when you’re 10, 12, 13, 14 years in and you’ve taken a peek behind the curtain and see the politics of the game, you see all the other stuff that surrounds the game, it’s not just about basketball, and you still love it? You know what I’m saying? You go through injuries, you go through tough times, losses, wins and you still want to come in and be the best player you can be, that’s true love.”

Durant continued.

“Once you reach a certain level of talent, longevity, we all love the game the same way. I really tell people I love it this way, you may see me outwardly loving the game, showing up, talking to young players, dudes when I’m on the court, but every great player I’ve been around loves the game like that.”

Durant is still playing at an extremely high level, even after 19 years in the league. In fact, it’s hard to imagine where this specific iteration of the Rockets would be without him this season, especially when considering the injuries that they’ve been dealt.

Durant has been one of the most durable players in the Association all season, playing the second most minutes and finishing third in minutes on a nightly basis. He’s sure to make one of the All-NBA teams as well, after averaging 26 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, roughly two stocks, 52 percent from the field, 41.3 percent from deep, 58.8 percent effective shooting, 87.4 percent from the foul line and 64.1 percent true shooting.

His Rockets take on the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, in a series that gets started on Saturday night in Los Angeles.

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