Rusty Durant spotty in debut
By Connor Letourneau
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A Rogers Arena crowd of 19,000 was divided Saturday on the event’s biggest attraction.
Whenever Kevin Durant touched the ball, a mix of cheers and boos emanated from the seats. The polarizing reaction reinforced the fact that fans had a primary objective four weeks ago, when tickets sold out within minutes for this preseason opener: get the first glimpse of the NBA’s top offseason acquisition with his new team.
In the Warriors’ 97-93 loss to Toronto, Durant provided ammunition for his critics. The seventime All-Star scored nine points on 2-for-9 shooting and committed three turnovers in 19 minutes. Missing was the allaround dominance that has come to define his game the past nine-plus years.
“I’m pretty sure those people weren’t affected by (Durant’s) decision,” point guard Stephen Curry said of the boos directed at Durant. “It’s just buying into a narrative that doesn’t make any sense.”
Any assessment for Durant after one meaningless exhibition should be kept in perspective. After a chaotic summer that included leading the U.S. Olympic team to gold in Rio, he is just beginning to learn how he fits into Golden State’s system.
The Warriors had four practices during the week before flying to Vancouver. For their free-flowing offense to thrive, 11 newcomers need time to study the right spacing and reads. Golden State arrived at Rogers Arena, the former home of the Vancouver Grizzlies, having installed two items: an out-of-bounds play from the sideline, and an outof-bounds play from underneath the basket.
“We looked like a team that had had four days of practice,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “That was kind of about what I expected.”
As spectators adjusted Saturday to the sight of Durant in a Warriors uniform, the four-time NBA scoring champion clanged his first four shots. It wasn’t until late in the first quarter that Durant scored his first points on a two-handed slam in transition.
Though down only 53-51 at halftime, Golden State’s core of Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green watched the final two quarters from the bench. There was no sense in Kerr taxing them with more than three weeks before the regular season.
Reserve guards Ian Clark (eight points, three assists) and Patrick McCaw (11 points, four assists) added intrigue to the competition for the backup shooting guard spot. Though discombobulated at times after missing much of the past three seasons with leg injuries, center JaVale McGee made his case for the team’s final roster spot with two blocks.
“It was our first game,” point guard Shaun Livingston said. “It’s going to take some time for us to jell, but it’ll come.”
Saturday was about getting an early idea of how a stacked group, one widely expected to compete deep into June, looks outside the confines of the Warriors’ downtown Oakland practice facility. Perhaps more important than Durant’s underwhelming numbers was how he was greeted.
Even on misses, his jump shots triggered a collective gasp from a crowd that has endured the past 15 seasons without an NBA team.
“I’m focused on the game of basketball,” Durant said. “I’m not really focused on whether they cheer or boo.”