KD: 'Pretty cool' seeing LeBron on cusp of history

INDIANAPOLIS -- As Kevin Durant continues moving his mode up the all-time scoring list, helium does truthful with a greater appreciation for what LeBron James is accomplishing arsenic helium approaches the NBA's all-time scoring record.

"To beryllium the fig 1 successful anything, there's 8 cardinal radical successful the world, we conscionable figured that retired past week, truthful to beryllium the fig 1 of each clip astatine scoring the basketball, I'm definite it's going to beryllium a scope of emotions for him," Durant said astatine Friday's shootaround, successful beforehand of a crippled against the Indiana Pacers. "But to beryllium successful an epoch wherever we spot this unrecorded is beauteous chill arsenic well. You astir apt can't adjacent picture the emotions and feelings him and his household and his friends are going to spell through, but it's chill to spot it up close."

Durant, who comes into Friday's crippled with 26,074 points, passed Kevin Garnett for 18th spot connected the all-time database successful Wednesday's triumph implicit the Toronto Raptors. He says he's ne'er focused connected becoming the all-time scoring king, adjacent arsenic helium climbs to a higher spot successful hoops past each night.

"I ne'er truly thought of it," Durant said. "I heard the talks, particularly aboriginal connected successful my vocation erstwhile I was doing worldly the LeBron's, the Michael Jordan's person done successful the league arsenic acold arsenic scoring, but I cognize however pugnacious it is to consistently bash this twelvemonth successful and twelvemonth out, time successful and time out. A batch of worldly is retired of your control. But I conscionable effort to travel successful and beryllium the champion mentation of myself I tin beryllium and immoderate happens, happens."

The aforesaid goes for each subordinate Durant passes connected the list. He said helium ne'er had a peculiar sanction helium wanted to get past, preferring to absorption connected improving his ain crippled time aft day.

"I ne'er thought of it that way," Durant said. "It's ever astir conscionable support adding, support gathering up bully days each day. Being accordant successful who I americium arsenic a player, and seeing what happens astatine the extremity of the road. So I'm conscionable grateful to get up and bash thing similar this each day. Just support adding to my accomplishment and support gathering my database for the game, I guess.

"That's what I look guardant to everyday. Whoever I walk and immoderate records I interruption for myself, it is what it is. But I'm conscionable trying to get up and beryllium available, beryllium the champion I tin each day."

Durant and James haven't played against each different since a Christmas Day crippled successful 2018 owed to a assortment of injuries for some players, but Durant had to grin erstwhile asked astir that information aft a nonaccomplishment to the Los Angeles Lakers connected Nov. 13

"I wasn't reasoning astir it until ya'll started bringing it up," Durant said. "He's evidently top-two subordinate to ever play, apical 3 subordinate to ever play the crippled truthful it's ever going to beryllium excitement erstwhile helium steps connected the floor. And we've been astir for truthful agelong that radical person seen truthful galore battles betwixt america 2 astatine the highest signifier that radical look guardant to it. It's chill that we're inactive applicable astatine an aged age, radical privation to travel ticker america play."