Durant, Westbrook feud seen to continue
What the match did reveal (apart from showing that the Warriors and the Thunder aren’t really in the same league) is the depth and breadth of the animosity Westbrook has for Durant. The latter may have wanted peace, but the callous manner in which he chuc
Don’t think for a moment that the Warriors expected anything less than a rout when they faced the Thunder over the weekend. For all the drama surrounding their first visit to the Chesapeake Energy Arena with local-hero-turnedheel Kevin Durant in tow, they knew they possessed superior talent armed with superior mechanics, and thus believed their stop would lead to Win No. 46 of 54 matches so far in their 2016-2017 campaign.
Thunder fans were, of course, hoping for a happy ending. Having just witnessed their favorites upend the defending champion Cavaliers, they figured Russell Westbrook & Company would likewise find another gear against the Warriors. There was, after all, the added incentive of making Durant as unwelcome as possible, what with the heartbreak he provided them in the summer trumping the eight years’ worth of success he helped bring.
In the end, though, not even sustained determination could keep the Thunder from absorbing their third loss in as many outings against the Warriors. Their Westbrook-dominated style was simply no match for their opponents’ balanced system on both ends of the floor. And to add insult to injury, they failed to prevent Durant from coming up with yet another sterling effort. What the match did reveal ( apart from showing that the Warriors and the Thunder aren’t really in the same league) is the depth and breadth of the animosity Westbrook has for Durant. The latter may have wanted peace, but the callous manner in which he chucked his longtime blue and yellow for, well, better blue and yellow served to preclude it from turning into reality. Sometime in the future ( okay, distant future), perhaps. Meanwhile, the simmering feud will continue, with the contest slated next month, and the contests next season, and so on and so forth. And unless and until the personnel makeup changes for either or both, the outcome on and off the court will stay the same.