If I never watch Kobe Bryant play again, I’m OK with that. I’ve seen everything he can do. If I never see another game with Dwyane Wade or Carmelo Anthony or Dwight Howard, I’ll be all right. I know their gifts.

I have seen Kevin Durant play dozens of times and I can’t get enough. I have no idea what his ceiling is. I have no idea what he’ll do next.

His combination of size, athleticism and offensive skill is unprecedented in the NBA. He shoots, runs the floor and gets to the rim like a 2-guard. Yet he’s 6-10. He’s part-Kobe, part-Dirk Nowitzki. And his attitude and fourth-quarter poise is off the charts.

The past four playoff games, Durant has 133 points on 76 shots. Even Doug McDermott thinks that’s efficient. “KD” is playing at a level that’s almost too good to be true. Let’s hope he can keep it up.

>> I thought the game changed last night when Oklahoma City went small. They put one big man on the floor (instead of two), exchanged Kendrick Perkins for a more versatile Nick Collison and put Thabo Sefolosha on LeBron James. Perkins is necessary against Tim Duncan and Andrew Bynum, but there’s nobody on Miami’s roster (except Joel Anthony) that he can guard. OKC needs to continue to go small. When they do, they’re impossible to defend.

>> One more NBA thought: If Russell Westbrook outplays Wade in this series, Miami is done. Even more than LeBron, Wade must step up.

>> Mitch Sherman, ESPN senior writer and former World-Herald standout, says Omaha should let Rosenblatt Stadium rest in peace.

>> Pat Forde says Stony Brook’s run to the CWS should persuade the college football lawmakers to make room for the little guy.

>> ESPN’s Doug Glanville grew up in the Northeast, not far from Stony Brook. He says the Seawolves have a shot in Omaha.

>> Doc Sadler, according to the Lawrence Journal World, will join Bill Self’s staff as director of basketball operations. Lincoln and Lawrence are 3 hours apart. But when it comes to basketball fever, it’s hard to believe they’re on the same planet. Should be a fun, low-stress experience for Sadler.

>> LaVar Arrington writes about one of Jerry Sandusky’s victims who idolized Arrington.

>> Georgia football’s drug policy is stricter than most, but it’s unnecessarily hurting the program, says Andy Staples.

>> Mitch Sherman (a busy man) examines the cost of recruiting in Division I football. Nebraska’s recruiting budget jumped from $344,000 to $478,000 from 2010 to 2011.

>> Urban Meyer says college athletics is anti-student athlete. One example: Kids have to pay their own way to summer camps.

>> Why is LeBron the villain? He shouldn’t be, Mike Wise says. But two old friends say LeBron has indeed changed.

>> Gregg Doyel calls Dwyane Wade a whiner.

>> A baseball love story by one of the sport’s best writers.

>> North Dakota voted to get rid of “Fighting Sioux.” An emotional day for its citizens.

>> I’m working on a small project about Husker football tradition, to be published in July. I was curious what fans in 2012 remember and don’t remember about NU history. On Monday, I asked for fans’ earliest memories of Nebraska football. I truly enjoyed reading responses, especially considering the variety. They were like personal journals documenting little pieces of Husker history. Here’s a sampling…(they’re long, so you may wish to skim):

Jason Oglesby:
1982 Penn State game. My dad said “No! We scored too early, left them too much time! We’re going to lose.” He was right.

Dale Sandquist:
1962…Bob Devaney’s first loss…to Missouri.
Freshman in high school….knothole section in south end.  Hooked ever since!

Steve Harder:
My first Husker game I went to was the homecoming game in 1989 (I think). … I was going to the game with my Dad and Grandpa. I think my grandpa had gotten the tickets from somewhere. Anyway, we had three tickets, but we also had a 17 year old exchange student from Belgium staying with us. Me, my Dad, and Tom (our exchange student) had driven from Beaver City to Lincoln on Friday and Dad took us to the stadium and just to walk around the campus a little bit. As we were walking in the horseshoe east of the stadium we saw Bob Devaney sitting in a convertible (he had just finished riding in the car for the homecoming parade). So, my dad sees him and he takes us up to Devaney to say hi and basically just introduces himself to Devaney and says “this is my son, our exchange student from Belgium, were from Beaver City, big fans, yada yada yada” I remember Devaney just chatting up my Dad. His son (I think it was his son) had spent some time for work or something in Belgium. He was just very talkative and nice to us small town folk. It some how comes out in the conversation that we had 3 tickets and I was going to my first game with Dad and Grandpa, but they didn’t have a 4th ticket for Tom our exchange student (he was just going to hang out at my grandparents farm on Saturday). So, Devaney tells my dad to come to his office Saturday morning and tell his secretary our names and we could then exchange our 3 tickets for 4 tickets so Tom could go. No cost for the 4th ticket. We go to his office Saturday morning and just walk into his office (somehow my Dad knew where it was) tell them our name and the lady says ok, goes into another room and comes out with 4 tickets for us. No signing and papers or forms or paying for them. We just gave them our 3 for 4. I’ve just always thought that was pretty cool that Devaney was just that personable and fan friendly.

Mo Nuwwarah:
Crying after the FSU loss in 93

Jake Bogus:
My first Husker game was ’95 against Mizzou. 57-0. I was 7. Winning was the only option. I didnt think Nebraska COULD lose.

Jared Stevens:
My earliest memory was in 2000 when i was a 7 yr old. Decked out in my fresh husker jersey and gear, we went to the baylor vs nebraska game, where nebraska steamrolled 59-0. Its so memorable to me because it was my first game and we were running a little late. 2 minutes into the game, nebraska blocked a punt, and the balloons were let off, and we were still out of the stadium. My very first husker game, we were late and missed one of my favorite traditions, the release of all the balloons. From that day on, my dad requires we get to every game (baseball, basketball, whatever sport) a full hour early. He felt so bad about it and still feels bad to this day!

Mo Maag:
Dirk, some of my earliest memories of Husker football are being at the Washington State (remember the “Throwin’ Samoan,” Jack Thompson?) loss in Lincoln (1977) when I was a junior at Waverly High School.   I also went to the Indiana (Head Coach Lee Corso) game that same year when Isaiah Moses Hipp ran wild (a then Husker record of 254 yards rushing).  Later that fall I tore my ACL and was able to attend a Husker practice and get my full leg cast signed by I.M. Hipp, Rick Berns and others.

Ralph Moninger:
My earliest Husker memory watching them on TV was the 1977 Liberty Bowl against North Carolina. I was 8 years old at the time. I had been aware of Nebraska football since before I started kindergarten but for some reason I never watched the games. … I can count on my hand the number of games I have missed that were televised since then.

Dave Hughes:
I think it was the 10-7 Cotton Bowl loss to Arkansas after the ’64 season that I remember as my first Husker game experience.  I would have been just 6, and all I remember is my mom saying “Oh, Nebraska!” every time the Huskers would screw up something in the game on the television that we were watching.

Mark Champion:
It was 1964 and we were living in Minn and my dad took me to a game at the University of Minnesota we sat up against the top row wall of the old Minn stadium which obviously was replaced.  We came away from the game in shock from a beating by some little Midwestern school call Nebraska.  I still remember the uniforms of Nebraska the same ones they just wore as throw back unis.

Tom Latta:
Six years old on Jan 1, 1967. New Orleans. The Sugar Bowl, arguably for a national championship. Nebraska v. Bama.
First play. Kenny Stabler throws long to Ray Perkins, complete, deep in Husker territory. Bama never blinked all day. 34 (?) to 7.
So much for my first game.

Kelly Basnett:
nebraska/missouri “the catch” scott frost to matt davison…was 7 years old and jumping up and down in the couch! Haha

Gene Finke:
I was a devoted watcher of the Bill Jennings Show on Sundays at noon.  I think the host was Bob Zenner.  He and a host went through almost every play in an hour on Channel 10 out of Lincoln.  At 1pm the one and only NFL game came on.  This was probably the 1960 and 1961 seasons.  … I didn’t actually see a game live in person in Memorial Stadium until 1969 when I was 21.

Jeremy Jorgenson:
The failed 2 point conversion in the Orange Bowl..

Logan Foxhoven:
Tommie Frazier running the option.

Adam Fisher:
I grew up in and around Omaha all of my childhood. My entire family are die-hard Husker fans. It was the 95′ championship against Florida and I was 9 at the time. We had a large party at my uncle’s house. Despite being nine I watched the entire game devoted to the TV, watching the unreal dominance that was displayed. I remember my uncle jumping up punching the air/ceiling (haha) and hurting his hand after Frazier’s run where he is still to this day breaking tackles. Afterward, my uncle and dad decided to head down to 72nd/Dodge where they have the huge after-game party. My brother (8yrs) and I convinced them to take us along. I’ll never forget walking down the hill on my dad shoulders, with flares on either side of the road, and in complete awe of the massive crowd that had gathered – partying one sweet Husker victory.

Brian Kamp:
Earliest memory is the spring game in maybe ’80 or ’81. Was amazed at the size of Memorial Stadium

Kurth Brashear:
First game live FSU 1980, with dad, N End: crowd, balloons, sunny, lost but fans clapped. Loved it!

Arlen Albert:
I began Nebr football in 1963 as my father worked for the University maintenance dept.  On home football Saturday’s I would go with him to the stadium and watch as they got the stadium ready. They would have to uncover the field, set up chairs, and various other things. During games I got to sit on the field as he held the ropes to make sure fans didn’t get on the field and we held the rope pen as Nebr ran on and off the field. I remember losing to Air Force and remember Gale Sayers having to fair catch some punts.

Casey Kessler:
99′ texas…we were at the embassy in omaha…my dad yelling at the tv while I had no clue what was going on

Trey Smith:
January 1, 1971 Orange Bowl victory over LSU

Josh Bartee:
Attending my first game in 1983 and walking behind the bench to shake hands with rozier and fryar.

Josh Peterson:
My earliest memory is discussing how Nebraska could still get to the national title game in 1996. Happened pre-Texas game.

Bawn Froning II:
My earliest memory is my mom leaving the house during 91 OU game because we were losing.

Matthew Rose:
My first Husker memory…. 1982 Orange Bowl, before I turned five. My dad yelled “THAT’S NOT HOLDING” about 15 times.

Chris Whitney:
Mine was 1990 Colorado game. Didn’t watch on TV, was at Shopko with mom…remember hearing Pavelka lose it during CU rally

John Soflin:
Beating Oklahoma that day 25 to 21 was perhaps one of the biggest, if not the biggest upset in Husker history. … Oklahoma dominated the game early and finished with a huge advantage in the Statistics, but Nebraska rallied in the 2nd half behind Zentic, Pat Fisher, Don Fricke to comeback and win the game. I ran onto the field after the game and watched the college kids tear down the goal posts and I marched in the procession to the Governor’s mansion with the goal posts in tow.
It was such a huge win that school was called off the following Monday at UNL. (Of course it was just Nebraska and not UNL back in those days.) In my excitement I forgot that I was to meet my Dad and older brothers for the ride home after the game. Needless to say I was also somewhat lost as at only 10 years old I just in my excitement forgot where I was and what time it was. However I found my way back downtown and to a phone booth and with my last dime called my Dad to come and get me. Also needless to say it was one of the nastiest butt chewing and lickings I ever got from my old man. But in later years, he always enjoyed telling the story about how his youngest son helped tear down the goal posts and carried them off the field in celebration of that 1959 game.

And here’s more in the comments section of Monday’s Chatter. Thanks for sending me your memories.