Kevin Durant had the last laugh in the first half of his first game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in OKC Saturday night.
Kevin Durant has been getting an earful from the Oklahoma City crowd ever since he set foot in the arena.
They booed him during warmups. They booed him during intros. During the game. Whenever he touched the ball. Hell, they probably booed him last night in their sleep, that’s how much they’ve been booing him.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Durant got a little tired of it all. He probably wanted to show up the crowd. Yes, he understands his actions and is willing to accept the resentment that comes with joining the Golden State Warriors. He knew that when he signed with there in the first place.
Even so, that resentment gets irritating to listen to after awhile and any competitor would want to show up the crowd. It’s in the nature of NBA players that when they’re on the road, the best way to defeat the crowd is to silence it with big plays. That will be impossible for tonight, but Durant can at least take some of that energy and get them going even more.
Kevin Durant with the first half exclamation point‼️ pic.twitter.com/kqqxPwospO
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) February 12, 2017
This was at the end of the half. Golden State was already up 20 points and the crowd was frustrated. Durant didn’t have to do this. He saw Javale McGee already ahead of the pack on his way to a dunk of his own, but Durant wanted this.
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He sprinted up the court with the intent to send a message to this crowd — that he heard the boos, saw the cupcakes and listened to the insults. This ferocious slam was his response. He wanted to destroy the Thunder tonight, and he wanted the crowd as hostile as they could get. He fed off that energy and used it to fuel his desire to win that much more.