Today we celebrate the life of an incredible man, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Last night, prior to our game against the Sacramento Kings, I was honored to be able to deliver a pre-game address to our fans in Oklahoma City in recognition of Martin Luther King Day.

It’s still hard to appropriately put into words what Dr. King’s legacy and life meant, and how the things he did impacted and shaped our lives today. That’s especially true for men of my generation and generations that have followed, who didn’t fully experience the Civil Rights era and movement. I do think that many of us recognize his sacrifice, and the sacrifices of those who walked alongside of him.

Their actions set the stage for us to have the opportunities that we have today not just as NBA players, but as young men in this society, both in this country and around the world. We wouldn’t be in the position we’re in as a country and as a people without what he stood for, and what he left for us once he was gone.

As you age and mature, you grow wiser as a person and your appreciation for things like that tends to grow. At this point in my life, I think I have a greater appreciation for that period of time in this country. I appreciate even more how hard that was for Dr. King, and for many of our friends and family and loved ones who lived during that period and experienced that movement. Still, I don’t think those of us 40 and under can truly appreciate what it must have been like to live during that time.

One question you can’t help but wonder about is how much further can we go over the next 40 years? Where is the continuation of Dr. King’s legacy? What can we do to push for continued growth in this country in terms of acceptance of all people and equality for all people?

I think we just have to continue to be stewards of our own generation. We don’t have to try to replace Dr. King. We don’t necessarily have to be on the front page or on the front lines, and I don’t think we should get stuck on trying to define for someone else what it means to help others and sacrifice for other people. There are many things that can be done and that some guys are already doing on a daily basis to make a difference.

Athletes are funding education programs and after-school programs and activities, exposing young people to new opportunities and new ways of viewing things. Those things matter.  It may not be the way some people — in particular, our parents’ or grandparents’ generation viewed the way we should carry the torch. But I do think there are a number of athletes and high-profile individuals who do a lot for the greater good in terms of the advancement of our society as a people. That’s a good way to honor Dr. King’s legacy.

SUCCESS IS IN THE DETAILS

I think getting some time back at home over the last few days has been great for us as a team. When we get a chance to sleep in our own beds and have some practice time at our own facility, you can just tell the difference in our energy level. It just gives you a different feeling as a group.

We went through a little bump in our season recently, and I think we needed to get back to a focus on the smaller facets of the game. For us, I don’t think it’s a matter of just playing faster to hurry up and taking more shots. It’s attention to detail in terms of how we run in transition and our spacing. We have to be more focused in on the way we choose to execute offensively, setting up our plays, getting the right spacing and playing offense with a purpose. That’s what’s been one of our problems.

I do think part of it is physical in terms of practice and taking your body through what you need to do. At the same time, these are things we’ve done for months and spent time in training camp working on. So a lot of it is the mental aspect of the game. It comes down to being mentally strong enough and tough enough as individuals and as a group to do the things we’ve been taught and have practiced. Just doing those things the right way — not accepting less than 100 percent and the way they should be done — will take us a long way.

DURANT’S DRIVE

Kevin Durant can take us a long way playing at the level he has this year.

Kevin is having a MVP level season. He’s scoring, rebounding and facilitating offensively, getting other guys involved. He’s also improved in terms of his commitment to making the effort on every possession defensively. He does as many things for our team as any other guy who will be in the MVP conversation does for their team.

But the thing that stands out to me about Kevin is that he has made a commitment to not just relying on his physical gifts and his talent or athleticism. He really wants to understand mentally where he’s trying to go, and what he’s trying to do.

That involves mastering your own mind in order to be able to tell your body what to do so that the physical part just kind of happens. It’s the game within the mind and how he’s handling that is crucial to taking his performance to a higher level of excellence.

That’s what is so impressive about Kevin’s ability, and why he’s getting better so quickly. He thinks about and visualizes things happening, and he’s able to put those visualizations into process. That’s a really special ability to have, to be able to control your emotions and control your mind, and focus like that.

Oddly enough, I think that losing Russell in the playoffs last year prepared Kevin for the season that he’s having now. It heightened his awareness of what it is that he needs to do to make our team special, whether Russell is there or not.

That’s what I think has really catapulted him to an even higher level than he performed at last year. He’s doing everything that needs to be done in order to really help carry our team to the level we’re capable of reaching. He’s had a great season, and I don’t see any reason why he’d slow down.