Let’s be honest. For the Warriors and the Cavs, the regular season is nothing more than a really long tune-up. Should these teams meet in the Finals, the Cavs will look much better than they have so far this year.

Isaiah Thomas is a shell of himself right now. He’s clearly rusty and lacks chemistry with his new teammates. Defensively, they’ll improve because they have to. Otherwise, they won’t make it out of the East. With the Brooklyn pick in hand and the trade deadline drawing near, the Cavs might not even have their full postseason roster right now.

With all that said, there’s at least one interesting takeaway from Golden State’s two regular-season wins: Kevin Durant’s ability to continue elevating his play against LeBron James.

Durant Can Physically Match James, Unlike Curry

Decide for yourself which player is Golden State’s best. Both Durant and Curry have had MVP moments this season, especially while the other has been sidelined. When it comes to matching up with the best player in the world, though, KD stands out.

It’s not that Steph hasn’t had some great games against Cleveland. He was sensational in the 2017 Finals, but based on size alone, the individual Curry vs. James matchup has always been more of a media talking point than an on-court showdown. Curry simply doesn’t have the physical tools to cover James the way James can cover Curry. With that disparity in versatility alone, it’s hard to imagine anyone ever crowning Steph as a better basketball player than LeBron.

With Durant, it’s a different story. They don’t match up every possession, but Durant has his eyes on the throne whenever he faces James. Like LeBron, Durant can play any position and dominate the game on both ends of the floor—and dominate he has.  

Durant was a no-brainer Finals MVP after averaging 35.2 points last year, including the unforgettable pull-up over LeBron in Game 3. This season, Durant has continued his strong play against King James. After scoring 25 on Christmas at home, Durant dropped 32 on Monday night to go along with 8 assists. He was outstanding in the second half as the Warriors battled back from a deficit. James was no slouch, scoring 32 points of his own, but he finished the two-game season series against the Warriors with 15 turnovers.

During Monday night’s game, Durant had a steal and slam that felt like a statement. Rather than settling for a left-handed layup or drawing a foul, Durant was committed to the ferocious dunk while James made a business decision to get out of the way.

To be clear, LeBron has had some unbelievable performances against the Warriors since KD joined the team. While Durant obviously deserved the Finals MVP award, his Cleveland counterpart averaged a triple-double that included 33.6 points per game. Still, James is usually head and shoulders above his peers in the biggest games. His three-game stretch to close out the 2016 Finals has no equal as far as I’m concerned. The 2015-16 regular season had been the Steph show, and rightfully so. James seemed to make a statement with every possession during those final three Cleveland wins, reminding the world that he—not the unanimous MVP—was the most dominant player in the sport.

Since Durant arrived in the Bay Area, he’s been making statements of his own. He’s matched—and at times surpassed—LeBron’s excellence when given the chance. That fact alone makes Cleveland’s already uphill climb seem impossible. James needs to be superhuman for the Cavs to have a chance against Golden State, but KD has proved to be a worthy adversary. 

Durant doesn’t always seem to get his due in the conversation about basketball’s best. From his Twitter burner accounts to his interviews venting about a strained relationship with Oklahoma City, he’s struggled to handle the off-the-court adversity that followed his decision to sign with the Warriors. On the court, some will default to the lazy argument that the Warriors’ dominance has made it easy for Durant to be great. When he goes toe-to-toe with James, though, the haters don’t have much ammo.

Before the Christmas game, Durant said he felt like he was “on the same level” as James. The more he plays against him, the harder it becomes to disagree.