Durant's clutch clinches CSPR crown

Originally Published: May 22, 2012

ESPN

Cross-Sport Power Rankings: Kevin Durant Thunders to the Top

With two last-second winning shots against the Lakers, Durant outshined Kobe as the closer and takes the top spot. Mario Gutierrez rode to second place on I'll Have Another, and Tim Duncan is third.Tags: Cross-Sport Power Rankings, Kevin Durant, Mario Gutierrez, Tim Duncan

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It's one thing to be clutch. It's another thing entirely to be consistently clutch against the player with the best clutch reputation in the league. That's what Kevin Durant did, making a pair of winning baskets Monday against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, sending the Lakers home for the season.

Durant's late-game heroics pushed him over Preakness-winning jockey Mario Gutierrez, who has I'll Have Another on the verge of the first Triple Crown in more than 30 years. Meanwhile, it seems Tim Duncan has been playing in the NBA that long, but it's been only 15 seasons. Still, the Spurs vet has some gas left in the tank, leading San Antonio to a second-round sweep of the Clippers.

Rounding out the top five are Chelsea star Didier Drogba and LeBron James, whose Game 4 performance was enough to overcome a disappointing Game 3. Should they be higher? Let us know what you think in the comments section. If you impress our panel with your critique, you could be featured as a guest ranker for next week's edition.

2012 Cross-Sport Power Rankings panel: Sara Walsh, John Buccigross, Robert Flores, Michael Smith, Bram Weinstein, Mike Hill, Jorge Andres, Charissa Thompson, DJ Gallo, Jim Basquil, Kevin Connors, Will Selva, Jeff MacGregor and Steve Weissman.

Last week's ranking: Josh Hamilton No. 1 | Cross-Sport Power Rankings archive »

Cross-Sport Power Rankings: May 15-21, 2012

Rank (LW)	Player	Comment
1 (NR)	Kevin Durant Thunder	Durant is making a habit of hitting postseason game winners. He had a big one in the first round against Dallas and two against the Lakers, putting the Thunder into the conference finals for the second straight year. Hopefully you haven't missed any of his basketball brilliance because you were too busy playing Doodle Jump.
2 (NR)	Mario Gutierrez Jockey	Gutierrez and I'll Have Another did just that at Pimlico, taking the Preakness in thrilling fashion over favorite Bodemeister. This is the 12th time since 1979 that a horse has won the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Now we'll have to see whether Gutierrez and I'll Have Another can do what Big Brown, Charismatic, Alysheba and others couldn't.
3 (NR)	Tim Duncan Spurs	Don't sleep on San Antonio. These aren't your father's (or older brother's) boring Spurs. Duncan & Co. have one of the best offenses in the league. Duncan averaged 21 points per game in the sweep of the Clippers, his best scoring output in one series since 2008. The Spurs have won 18 straight games, and with eight more, they'll add a fifth ring.
4 (NR)	Didier Drogba Chelsea	Drogba may be leaving Chelsea, but he's going out on a high note. The striker scored a late equalizing goal in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, then connected on the final penalty kick to give Chelsea its long-awaited title.
5 (3)	LeBron James Heat	King James picked up a new nickname on Sunday: Video Game James. His 40-point, 19-rebound, 9-assist line had many in the league comparing it to an "NBA 2K12" performance. In reality, James was the first person to do that since Elgin Baylor in 1961. Unfortunately, the comparison doesn't help James in one department: Baylor never won an NBA title.
6 (4)	Henrik Lundqvist Rangers	It's been 18 years since the Rangers lifted the Stanley Cup (which doesn't even compare to their previous 54-year drought), but if Lundqvist keeps playing the way he has, they might not wait much longer. He posted his second shutout of the conference finals in Game 3 against New Jersey, giving him three for the postseason.
7 (NR)	Justin Verlander Tigers	When you've thrown two no-hitters and won MVP and the Cy Young in the same season, a simple one-hit, 12-strikeout performance won't move the needle as much as it should. Still, Verlander came just two outs away from a third no-hitter, lowering his ERA to 2.14 in the process. He's must-see TV every time he hits the mound.
8 (NR)	Jonathan Quick Kings	Sunday's loss proved Quick is still human, which had been in question after the way he'd started the conference finals against Phoenix. The Kings netminder shut out the Coyotes in Game 2, then allowed just one goal in Game 3. Even after letting up two goals in Game 4, his postseason goals-against average sits at a microscopic 1.46.
9 (8)	Jimmie Johnson NASCAR	It might just have been an exhibition, and a weirdly formatted one at that, but JJ's fans have to be thrilled with Johnson taking the checkered flag for the second consecutive week. The Hendrick star took full advantage of the modified All-Star format and proved in the end that he had the best car of the night.
10 (NR)	Rafael Nadal Tennis	Tennis's best clay-court player bounced back from his shocking loss in Madrid to beat three of the top seven players in the world en route to a title in Rome in his last French Open tuneup. Nadal didn't drop a set in Rome, dispatching rival Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-3 in the final.