I’m sure you’ve heard of Achilles and his heel, and perhaps also of Kevin Durant. Even if you haven’t, you’ll still understand the point of this story.
Achilles’ story first. I won’t go into detail, as I’m sure you know the story already. Achilles’ mother tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the river Styx, but he was left vulnerable in the part of the body by which she had held him, the part that didn’t get wet: his heel. Then, in the Trojan War, Paris shot him in the heel with a poisoned arrow ...
His heel or tendon was his only vulnerable spot, so in everyday language we often use the expression ‘Achilles heel’ to denote the most vulnerable spot or the greatest weakness of a person.
And now to Kevin Durant, currently one of the best professional basketball players, who until recently played in the NBA for multiple champions, the Golden State Warriors (GSW). In previous years, his team had won the championship title several times, and it was looking good for them in the season that came to an end not so long ago, as they had made it into the finals. Unfortunately, in Game 5 of the NBA Conference Semi-Finals, Kevin injured a calf muscle and so didn’t play for almost a month. His first game after the injury was the NBA Finals Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors. His support for his teammates was very welcome, as the opponents were leading 3:1 in games (the winner needed to win four games). Although the GSW won the NBA Finals Game 5, Kevin suffered another injury: he tore his Achilles tendon. The Toronto Raptors then went on to win the following game and, for the first time in history, they won the title of NBA champion. This sparked a heated debate in the media as to whether it had been right for Kevin to play at all just after a one-month absence due to an injury, “earning” him another, even more serious, injury.
Leaving these speculations aside, let’s focus instead on his Achilles tendon. If it represents “the most vulnerable spot” or “the greatest weakness”, what does that mean in the case of Kevin Durant? Can’t he accept defeat? Does he always want to win? Perhaps he always wants to be the best (even as an individual player)?
What do you think?
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