On Thursday night, the undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder will face off against the 3-1 Golden State Warriors in what could very well be a preview of the Western Conference Finals. If anything, as everyone already knows, it will at least be a tense, emotional battle between two rivals, with Kevin Durant at the center of it all.
And he’s the first one to admit that playing his former team will be emotional, as he told USA Today earlier this week.
“Hell yeah it will be. Yeah, it’s going to be emotional, seeing people on the sideline that I haven’t seen in a while. Yeah, it’s definitely going to be emotional, but I’ve got a job to do. I’ve got to go out there and be me in between the lines. I’d be a fraud if I go out there and say, ‘No, it’s not going to mean nothing. It’s just another game.’ It’s not. It’s not another game.”
When Durant jumped ship from the Thunder to join the Warriors, after they blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, the most dynamic narrative was set for a league that thrives on storytelling. It doesn’t matter who the Thunder or Warriors are playing, as reporters will always ask Durant about his former BFF Russell Westbrook, and they’ll certainly ask Westbrook how he feels about being dumped for the much sexier team. The difference between the two stars right now, though, is that Durant openly talks about Westbrook …
Q: Have you watched (the Thunder) at all? Russ has been on fire.
A: “Yeah, he’s controlling the game. Rebounding, scoring, assisting. First off, I’m so happy for (Thunder center) Steven (Adams) and (Thunder guard) Victor (Oladipo) to have that opportunity (they both signed lucrative extensions on Monday). That type of money is going to last for generations, so I’m super happy for them. It’s great that they’re fulfilling a lifelong dream, first to play in the NBA but also financially being stable. First off, I’m happy for them.
“But I’m definitely watching. The stuff that I’ve been through with that team and that organization, that stuff doesn’t just go away. I said that in July when I made this decision. It don’t just go away, so I’ve got nothing but love for everybody there. Everybody. No matter how they feel about me, everybody on Oklahoma City, on that team, of course I watch them. I support them. I want them to do well.” (Via USA Today)
Except, of course, when it comes to the playoffs, at which point we assume that Durant will want his new team to once again force his old team to blow its own 3-1 lead.
Westbrook, on the other hand, is perhaps more of a Don Draper than Derrick Rose. The Thunder’s lone superstar has made it perfectly clear that he has nothing to say to or about Durant. It’s business as usual on the court, and the Warriors are just another team that the 4-0 Thunder would like to defeat.
“Like I said in Oklahoma City, I don’t know if you guys know, but I’m not answering any more Kevin questions,” he said. “If you want to talk about basketball, I’m more than welcome to talk about that. But other than that.” (Via ESPN)
Okay, so what does Westbrook have to say about basketball, then?
“I play every game like it’s my last,” Westbrook said. “I play every game the same, always. Like I’ve been saying for years. And regardless of who we play, I’m going to play the same way.”
Westbrook has been a man on a mission, leading the NBA in scoring with 37.8 PPG through four games. In fact, he’s averaging a triple double. Durant leads the Warriors in scoring, but his supporting cast is considerably more productive than Westbrook’s teammates. Thus, the focus of Thursday’s game should be on which team is built to survive. Instead, everyone wants this to be a schoolyard duel.
How will @russwest44 and @KDTrey5 greet each other prior to tipoff Thursday night at Golden State?
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) November 1, 2016
As The Oklahoman’s Erik Horne wrote on Wednesday, Durant and Westbrook were on different paths even when they were teammates and the closest of friends. But thanks to everyone’s desire to watch them star in a remake of Mean Girls, their paths will run parallel for the rest of their careers, whether they like it or not.
