Animosity alive and well in NBA, Lowry says

NEW ORLEANS Of all the narratives this NBA all-star weekend, none will come close to matching how one-time teammates and apparent friends, now seemingly fierce rivals, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will coexist.

Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors this summer in free agency rather than return to Oklahoma City has put a wedge between the two players to the point where Westbrook went a full eight minutes and 44 seconds surrounded by the media all asking about Durant and didn’t mention his former teammate’s name once.

The Raptors’ Kyle Lowry, a three-time all-star, was asked if he thought a little animosity was good for the game. Lowry assured one and all animosity was still alive and well in the league, with or without the Durant/Westbrook feud.

“At the end of the day, I’ve got guys I played on (Team) USA with and we have a brotherhood, but I want to tear their heads off when it’s game time,” he said. “I don’t think it’s friendly, it’s still competitive. Me, I don’t care who I play against, at the end of the day, if they don’t have my jersey on, they’re the enemy.”

All-star DeMar DeRozan mostly directs his unhappiness and frustration at the officials. But he often gets angry at opposing players.

“There’s lot of guys,” DeRozan said when asked if he hated any players. “I wouldn’t show it, but it’s something for me to deal with when I go out there and play, but, yeah.” Lowry was even more direct. “As a competitor, me personally, I don’t care who I’m friends with, at the end of the day, I’m going to go out and try to kill you,” Lowry said.