Kevin Durant has amassed all sorts of accolades over the course of his phenomenal career. He’s been a regular-season MVP, a Finals MVP, a four-time scoring champ, a nine-time All-Star, and he’s racked up a laundry list of other awards too numerous to name here.
But this season, he’s brushing up against records of a decidedly more dubious nature. On Thursday night, Durant returned to the lineup for the depleted Warriors after missing almost two weeks with an injured rib. But that return came to an abrupt end in the first half against the Bucks when he got ejected for hurtling obscenities at a referee after a no-call.
It was a familiar outcome for Durant this season as it marked his fifth ejection of the year, placing him in equally-infamous company, second only to Rasheed Wallace for the most ejections in a single season, who piled up seven each in the 2000 and 2001 seasons. When asked about that upward trend of infractions, Durant attempted to explain that it is the result of his quest to win another championship this season.
Via Chris Haynes of ESPN:
“It’s just my emotions and passion for the game,” Durant said after Friday’s practice session. “After winning that championship (last season), I learned that much hadn’t changed. I thought it would fill a certain [void]. It didn’t. That’s when I realized in the offseason that the only thing that matters is this game and how much work you put into it. Everything else off the court, social media, perception, isn’t important. What people say, how they view you, it’s not important.
“What we did as a team was special, and I want to experience that again. My love and passion for the game has [blossomed] because I understand that’s what it’s all about, and I’m pouring all of this [newfound thirst] into this game. But I know I have to keep [my fire] under control, and I will.”
Durant’s technical on Thursday gave him a total of 14 for the season, inching him ever closer to a mandatory one-game suspension. And his five ejections are four more than he’d earned during his entire 10-year career prior to this season.
There’s plenty of conjecture to be had about his sudden antipathy for the refs (sharing a locker room with Draymond Green, mayhaps?), but regardless, he’ll need to do as he says and maintain some semblance of control in order to avoid any negative consequences that could prove costly to the Warriors once the postseason starts.
(ESPN)
