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Sports

KD's Dad Hit an Almost Identical Dagger-3 to Win a Pickup Game

A day before Kevin Durant stomped on Cleveland's heart with 45 seconds left in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, his dad won a pickup game with nearly the same exact shot.
© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

By now, you've seen the shot that forced out the last, sputtering gasp from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kevin Durant grabbed the rebound off a missed three from Kyle Korver, glided up the court, and with about 47 seconds left, pulled up in front of both the three-point line and LeBron James) to nail a three-pointer that gave the Golden State Warriors a 114-113 lead and momentum toward an eventual victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.

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One day earlier, Durant's father Wayne Pratt hit almost the identical shot to win a pick-up game at a local Maryland gym.

It's amazing. Both Durant and his father run (we are being generous, here, with Pratt) down the left wing and suddenly pull up with remarkably similar shooting styles. Both men have that lean you see when players, moving quickly enough that they could almost be out of control, suddenly pull up and shoot. Even Pratt's celebration is basically an impression of his son. The only difference? Durant did not yell "Game!" when he hit his shot.

Here, for comparison, are both shots side-by-side:

According to the Washington Post, Pratt's bomb was a game-winner. Durant's three wasn't the last last time Golden State scored in the game, but it was the go-ahead basket, and the Cavaliers never scored again. So, technically, his was a game-winner as well.

[WaPo]