Durant-Green controversy overshadows victory.
Decision to suspend Green overshadows game
After providing terse answers to repeated questions about teammate Draymond Green, Kevin Durant asked a room packed with reporters Tuesday night whether anyone wanted to talk about the game.
The Warriors had pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 110-103 win over the Hawks at Oracle Arena, but few were interested. A mid-November victory over one of the NBA’s worst teams seemed to matter little when compared with the news of the day: A day after he got into a heated on-court exchange with Durant, Green was suspended for one game for what Golden State called conduct detrimental to the team.
With five months until the playoffs, the Warriors are facing the type of turmoil capable of derailing their pur-
during the series.
So, yes, their friendship predates Durant’s landscape-altering move to the Warriors in July 2016.
Green and Durant also have a history of conflict since they became teammates 28 months ago. They twice had public spats during the 2016-17 season, revealing their temperamental natures for all fans to see.
Durant wasn’t backing away after this latest incident. He still seemed upset after Tuesday night’s 110-103 win over Atlanta,
Asked about his friendship with Green, Durant said curtly, “I don’t think that even matters right now. We just had a game. You might want to talk about the game.”
Before the game, general manager Bob Myers was more diplomatic in describing the relationship between Green and Durant.
“I think they have a lot in common,” Myers said. “They both love to win, they both love to play … but they’re competitive. It’s a relationship that wants to do great things together — and they will, and they have. I think they’ve got a sound relationship.”
Myers essentially blamed the “emotion” of sports for Monday night’s dustup. Durant yelled at Green for not passing him the ball in the closing seconds of regulation against the Clippers; Green defiantly defended himself and fired back; and their heated argument extended into the locker room after the Warriors lost in overtime.
This is not the first time Green and Durant traded angry words on the court. On Jan. 6, 2017, during an overtime loss to Memphis — in which the Warriors squandered a 24-point lead — Green got in Durant’s face as they returned to the court after a timeout. Green spent more than 20 seconds animatedly scolding Durant, who offered modest resistance.
Less than a month later, during another overtime loss on Feb. 4, 2017, in Sacramento, they went at it again. Durant was more aggressive this time, escalating the argument to the point that teammates Shaun Livingston and JaVale McGee intervened, as did assistant coach Ron Adams.
Their anger evaporated quickly: They watched the Super Bowl together the next day.
Head coach Steve Kerr suggested the friendship between Green and Durant — which also was evident during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, when they both played for the U.S. — will allow them to overcome their most recent tiff.
“They’ve won championships together,” Kerr said before Tuesday night’s game. “This is their third season as teammates. They were teammates on the Olympic team. So you draw your own conclusions.”
Also worth noting: Green was instrumental in persuading Durant to join the Warriors. They apparently traded texts throughout the 2015-16 season, culminating with one Green sent from Golden State’s locker room less than an hour after the Warriors fell to Cleveland in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
“See what we’re missing,” Green texted to Durant, according to a subsequent Sports Illustrated story. “We need you. Make it happen.”
Durant did, and then he and Green (along with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) led the Warriors to two more NBA championships. Now they need to soothe fresh tension so they can chase a third straight title.
“I’m sure they will talk,” Myers said. “I know both of them and I know what they want to accomplish this season. I’m sure they’ll get to that place. It’s really about winning.”