Durant is just 26 points away from surpassing Jordan! He responds: I want to make defenders feel fear like MJ did.

On March 21 Beijing time, the Rockets will face the Heat on March 22. Durant's regular season career total points have reached 32267, only 26 points away from surpassing Jordan (32292 points). In the 66 games he played this season, Durant scored at least 26 points in 32 games.

"Jordan has always been my source of inspiration. There is a reason why I desire to hit those crucial shots," Durant said in an interview with The Athletic. "He was always unstoppable, and when he became a master of mid-range shooting, you could never predict how he would attack you. You never knew what Jordan would do next. He made defenders feel fear every night, and I want the people defending me to experience the same fear."

Earlier this season, Durant had already surpassed Chamberlain (31419 points) and Nowitzki (31560 points), reaching a new milestone on the scoring list. Although these moments are significant, the respect brought by surpassing Jordan is entirely different—after all, Jordan has long been etched into basketball history as the most unstoppable scorer in the sport.

In many people's eyes, Jordan's explosive athletic ability, refined skills, and extreme competitive drive made him the undisputed "greatest of all time." In Durant, the basketball world has never seen a player standing 2.11 meters tall who combines such polished perimeter guard skills, clutch killer instinct, and elite shooting from all scoring areas.

If there is anyone considered the prototype of a "perfect offensive player," many believe it is Durant.

Surpassing Jordan will further solidify Durant's status as one of the most gifted scorers in basketball history. Whether from mid-range, the free-throw line, or beyond the three-point line, he has proven himself to be one of the most efficient shooters in league history. His release point is extremely high, making it almost impossible to interfere.

Some debate Durant's historical standing because he has played for five different teams, and his two championship rings and two Finals MVP honors came from the Golden State Warriors team that had four potential Hall of Fame players.

Nevertheless, the respect from his peers for him as a historic superstar is evident; he is a model of hard work achieving such brilliance. For many, he represents the ideal "pure scorer." He doesn't seek to exploit rules for fouls, doesn't rely solely on size or athleticism for shots near the basket, and doesn't blindly shoot a high volume of three-pointers.

Since entering the league in 2007, Durant's shooting has been viewed as an art, a weapon that helps him defeat all complex defensive schemes. Creating space and shooting over defenders is the best way to simplify the game, and Durant is among the top masters of this. Many shots considered daunting challenges in the game come naturally to him.

"I think the charm of the mid-range shot is that defenders never know when it's coming," Durant said. "Even though I'm a mid-range shooter, they still can't guess when I'll pull up. The unpredictability of this shot attracts me, and I want to make it a core part of my game."

According to Stathead data, since the NBA's game-by-game statistics era began in the 1996-97 season, Durant is one of only 214 players who have attempted at least 5000 jump shots. Among that group, he ranks fourth with a 44.6% jump shot field goal percentage. During the same period, he has made 1244 jump shots in the playoffs, trailing only Kobe Bryant (1365) and LeBron James (1332). Notably, James has played 292 playoff games in his career, Kobe 220, while Durant has only 170.

When Durant finds his spot and rises for a jump shot, defenders feel helpless. In most cases, all they can do is try to contest and then hope for luck.

Durant attributes the confidence he builds in the most critical parts of the game to the long hours he spends in the gym and his extreme pursuit of technical details.

"Developing touch is a tedious process. I'm not saying I've mastered every shot completely, but for those that work for me, I feel I have mastered them thoroughly," Durant said. "I've learned to be more patient, more decisive in movement and decision-making. With confidence, even if there are no other options, I can rise for a mid-range shot. I can shoot over a defender, over two or three defenders. When you are confident about getting these shot opportunities, you can try more things."

One quiet pleasure Durant enjoys in games is seeing the frustrated expressions on defenders' faces who try everything to stop him from scoring. He calls it "the feeling of breaking the opponent". "I love that feeling. It sometimes goes straight to the heart."

Soon, Durant can respectfully say he has surpassed one of his idols, solely because of everything he brings to the sport. "Every time I step on the court, I constantly remind myself to fight with the rhythm of the game," he said. For Durant, the pursuit of greatness and the love for the game are one and the same, endless.