OKLAHOMA CITY -- In accepting his first MVP award, Oklahoma Citys Kevin Durant made a point of sharing the honour with those who made it possible. Willie Colon Jersey . In a soul-baring speech that lasted more than 25 minutes, Durant fought back tears several times while thanking each of his teammates, the coaches, support staff and team executives, and finally his family. The emotional outpouring culminated with a tribute to his mother, Wanda Pratt, and the sacrifices she made, the inspiration she provided while raising Durant and his brother in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. "You made us believe," Durant said to Pratt, who was at the ceremony in Edmond, Oklahoma. "Kept us off the street. Put clothes on our backs, food on the table. When you didnt eat, you made sure we ate. You sacrificed for us. Youre the real MVP." Durant explained that Pratt was a single mother with two boys, and though times were tough while growing up, Pratt always thought something better was ahead. Durant said to appreciate moments like these, he often looks back to gain perspective. "One of the best memories I had is when we moved into our first apartment," he said as tears streamed down Pratts face. "No bed, no furniture, and we just all sat in the living room and hugged each other, cause thats when we all thought we made it." Hes really made it now. The young man who said he was told he "wasnt supposed to be here" won the NBAs top individual honour Tuesday, receiving 119 first-place votes. Miamis LeBron James, who had won the last two MVP awards and four of the previous five, finished second with six first-place votes, and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers was third. Durant, 25, called it "surreal" and at one point, as he thanked his teammates, he stopped and said, "I dont know why Im crying so much." "Everything in my life, I had to take it," Durant said. "Theyre not going to give it to you out of sympathy. I wouldnt want it any other way. This was another case, if I wanted to win the MVP, I had to go take it. I felt that this was the year I did that." During a speech in which Durant revealed a humility and vulnerability rarely displayed by a professional athlete, he also drew some laughs. "I could walk in and have a terrible day and I could see Hasheem (Thabeet) smiling at me, at 7-foot-3 with small pants on," he said. "That would change my day." Durant mentioned qualities about each teammate, showing respect for the veterans who challenge him and the rookies who inspire him to do things the right way because they look up to him. "I go home and I think about that stuff, man," he said. "When youve got people behind you, you can do whatever." Durant won his fourth scoring crown in five years by averaging 32 points. The 6-foot-9 forward helped the Thunder go 59-23, second-best in the league, despite playing much of the season without three-time All-Star Russell Westbrook because of a nagging knee injury. "Hes basically put himself in front of everybody else in the league and shown that hes the best player in the world," Westbrook said at the end of the regular season. James agreed, saying Monday: "Much respect to him and he deserves it. He had a big-time MVP season." Durants run of 41 consecutive games this season with at least 25 points was the third-longest streak in NBA history. "It was a two-man race, and then toward the end, it was kind of a no-brainer," Griffin said. James averaged 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists while shooting nearly 57 per cent from the field. Griffin averaged 24.1 points and 10.1 rebounds. Durant scored at least 40 points 14 times. He also averaged 7.4 rebounds and a career-high 5.5 assists while shooting 50 per cent from the field. While Westbrook was out after his most recent knee surgery, Durant averaged 35 points and 6.3 assists as the Thunder went 20-7 and remained among the leagues elite. Teammates and opponents say Durant became a more complete player this season. They praised him for improving his court vision, consistently making the extra pass and moving more efficiently without the ball. "I think we take it for granted," teammate Nick Collison said. "To be able to stay on for long periods of time -- have to cut hard, catch the ball in the right spot and defend on the other end -- is tough to do. To be able to show that shows that he has an edge to him. He doesnt take a night off." Though Durants consistency stood out this season, he had several exceptional games. He scored 48 points on Jan. 4 at Minnesota, then scored 48 again two games later at Utah. He scored a career-high 54 points in a home win against Golden State on Jan. 17 and two games later scored 46 at home in a victory against Portland. Two games after that, he had a triple-double -- 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists -- in a win at Philadelphia, and he followed that with 41 points in a victory over Atlanta. He scored 51 points at Toronto on March 21 in a staggering 53 minutes and hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left in double overtime. He capped it off in the season finale by scoring 21 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter against Detroit and winning the game with a dunk with 16.5 seconds left. The Thunder overcame a 10-point deficit in the quarter to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. "I put in so much work and so many people helped me," he said. "I feel like we all won it. Our equipment guy gave me a hug today and said, This is my first MVP, and I thought about that. And I said, Yeah, this is our first MVP. I couldnt have done it without the teammates, without the trainer. Everybody. We all just did this together." Jacoby Ford Youth Jersey . -- Dwyane Wade was a late scratch from the Miami Heats starting lineup against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night because of nerve irritation in his left foot, leaving his status for the All-Star game in doubt.Brian Winters Youth Jersey . -- After enjoying the chance to watch Toronto beat Anaheim, the San Jose Sharks took advantage of a tired Maple Leafs team to move closer to the Ducks in the standings.WASHINGTON - After reaching the last two MLS Cup Finals, the Houston Dynamo are back in the playoffs. That might be bad news for the rest of the league. Boniek Garcia and Giles Barnes scored in the first half and Houston beat D.C. United 2-1 on Sunday to wrap up a playoff spot on the final day of the season. Despite just qualifying for the post-season, confidence is high for Houston. "I dont think were a team that you necessarily want to play," defender Bobby Boswell said. "I dont think were a team that people are saying, Oh were matched up with Dynamo — good. Its kind of one of those, Oh boy, what are we in for." D.C. United (3-24-7) was winless in its final 12 games and set the MLS record for fewest victories in a season, breaking the previous mark of four set by Tampa Bay in 2001 and matched by Chivas USA in 2005. The Dynamo are the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and will host Montreal in the knockout match on Wednesday or Thursday. Houston finished fifth last season and won three consecutive playoff series on the road before eventually falling to Los Angeles in the MLS Cup. "I think that play-in game can make you dangerous," Boswell said referring to last years run. Captain Brad Davis, whose shot in the first half resulted in the corner kick that provided the winning ggoal, echoed his teammates belief. Willie Colon Youth Jersey. "I do feel like last year the run that we made — that play-in game - did help us," Davis said. "We wanted to get back on the field as quick as possible." Garcia scored his third goal of the season, converting a penalty kick in the 11th minute. Houston (14-11-9) earned the spot kick after defender James Riley pulled down Giles Barnes inside the box. United tied it in the 27th minute when Kyle Porter headed home Chris Pontius cross at the far post right. It was Porters third goal of the season, tying him for the team high. Houston pulled ahead in the 39th minute when Barnes flicked home a header on a corner kick. Barnes finished the season with a team-high nine goals. Houston has qualified for the playoffs seven times in the clubs eight-year history and made four appearances in the MLS Cup. Davis has been a part of each Dynamo playoff run and takes pride in the fact that his team is well respected this time of year. "I actually read to the group that somebody from D.C. said that you know when you play Houston its going to be a battle," Davis said. "They never look forward to playing us because they know its going to be hard and its going to be difficult. So when other teams are saying that, its a good thing."cheap jerseys ' ' '
