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players going back to streetball ways and playing for their hometown.
"It's had a big buildup for the last two months," said Lawson. "It's fun to come back and play for the city. I'm glad we got the win."
For guys like Durant, Harden and other Goodman and Drew League regulars throughout the summer, there was nothing better than a game pairing two summer leagues that have had success all summer to see who comes out as tops in the nation.
"To have our young talent go against theirs, it's just great for the area," said Goodman League-regular Arinze Onuaku. "The talent is so even on both ends it could have gone either way."
But then Onuaku added one key point. You know, the one player the Drew League didn't have the fortune of having play on its side – Durant.
"He really represented us well," said Mac Williams, Goodman League webmaster and one of the game's organizers. "It meant a lot because we wanted to win. He has a passion for winning just like the Drew League had a passion for coming here and beating us. So it meant a lot to the city."
It wasn't a given that Durant would score 44 points and be MVP of the game. Then again, it kind of was. It's performances like those that everyone has come to expect from KD.
To Rawls, who has seen the 23-year-old grow up before his eyes, Durant has solidified himself as a superstar. He's taken a lockout-infested offseason and created pure basketball excitement. And this game simply cemented that.
"He's separating himself," said Rawls. "Without a doubt. He's played in all these different summer leagues. Doing what he does, it's huge."
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