It's a fitting bit of trivia for Durant, who has spent practically his entire career chasing James for the unofficial title of greatest basketball player on Earth.

"I was the second best player in high school.

He became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double in the Finals during his 2017 loss to Durant, but his 2018 run cemented him as the superior all-around player.

Without Kyrie Irving, he astonishingly took a team of role players back to the Finals by leading the Cavaliers in points, assists, steals and blocks during the postseason.

Merely getting that team to the Finals was an accomplishment Durant couldn't even match by winning them. .

For once, Durant had to rough it as James so often has, and once and for all, he silenced all those who suggested he couldn't by putting together a performance that even James himself has never matched. 

It was the ultimate melding of what has made Durant great for his entire career and what led most to believe James was even better, near-flawless scoring paired with excellence in every other facet of the game while his teammates floundered beside him

Durant carried his team to an inexplicable victory, and he did so by doing just about everything a player can do on a basketball court. 

Like James in the past, his team knew that they couldn't afford to let him. 

Durant can carry a weak team as brilliantly as he can enhance a great one

He solidified his standing as the NBA's best player by winning with a roster unworthy of such greatness. 

But for the first time in his career, Durant will be warding them off from the top of the mountain rather than chasing them off it