Kevin Durant has faced his former team twice already, and there wasn't much drama. The Golden State Warriors' margins of victory were 26 and 21 points, respectively. Durant's point totals were 39 and 40 points, respectively. The Oklahoma City Thunder are pretty good this season, perhaps better than you expected, but while Russell Westbrook's one-man show is compelling, it proved no match for the Warriors' overwhelming talent.
Both those games, however, were played at Oracle Arena. Saturday's meeting, Durant's 279th regular-season game at Chesapeake Energy Arena, will be something he's never experienced: 18,000-plus jilted former fans' bellowing boos every time he touches the ball.
Much was made of Golden State's "villain" status before this season started, but the reality is that it isn't hated everywhere. At most of its road games, there are large swaths of the stadium dressed in blue and gold. Stephen Curry still has the NBA's best-selling jersey in 43 states. What the Warriors see in Oklahoma City will be new, and they will certainly try to use the playoff-like atmosphere as fuel. Their opponents will, too.
Here's what Draymond Green said about Durant's first game against the Thunder back in November: "I think it'll be a lot of emotions. They're going to want to beat him really bad. He's going to want to beat them really bad. In turn, we're going to want to beat them really bad because we want him to beat them really bad." Now multiply that by 1,000 or so, and that's what this will feel like.
There's always a danger that these massively hyped games will disappoint. Maybe all the stuff that makes this interesting -- the atmosphere, the crowd, the primetime national TV slot, the stories about Durant and Westbrook's fractured friendship -- won't matter. Maybe the noise, literal and otherwise, won't affect Golden State at all. For the mere chance that it is close down the stretch, though, you should be watching.
WARRIORS CHECK-IN
Record: 43-8
Scoring leader: Kevin Durant (25.8)
Assists leader: Draymond Green (7.4)
Rebounding leader: Tie: Draymond Green, Kevin Durant (8.4)
Last week: Defeated Hornets, Clippers, lost to Kings (2-1)
GAMES THIS WEEK
Wednesday, 10:30 p.m. ET: Chicago Bulls
Where: Oracle Arena in Oakland, California
TV: ESPN
Streaming: WatchESPN
Friday, 8 p.m. ET: Memphis Grizzlies
Where: FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee
TV: NBA League Pass
Streaming: NBA League Pass
Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET: Oklahoma City Thunder
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
TV: ABC
Streaming: WatchESPN
KEEP AN EYE ON ...
Durant's assertiveness
We don't have to wait until the Oklahoma City game to check in on this storyline. Durant shot just 2-for-10 in the Warriors' 109-106 overtime loss to the Kings on Saturday, going without a single shot attempt in the last five minutes of regulation and the extra frame. Steve Kerr said he thought Durant was tired; Durant disagreed but said he will "be more aggressive next game."
Interestingly enough, his next game comes against the Bulls, who employ one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, Jimmy Butler. Given how much Chicago has struggled to slow down opposing point guards, you'd think this would be a game for Curry to dominate. The balance between Curry's and Durant's usage and comfort level on offense continues to be something to monitor, and this will be a nice little test. Curry's probably the best player in the league right now, and that's a wonderful thing ... as long as Durant doesn't look as disconnected as he did against Sacramento.
I hate framing this as a Curry vs. Durant thing -- they generally make each other better! -- but in the last 15 games in which they've both played, Durant has taken more shots than Curry only twice. This might simply be the best way for the Warriors to play, as Curry's playmaking for himself and others out of the pick-and-roll has been the foundation of their nearly unstoppable offense since Kerr showed up. Durant, though, needs to approach the game with the same killer mentality he's always had. For the most part, he has done that, which is why the Kings game stood out so much.
Revenge!
Golden State has only lost eight games this year, but it has an 0-2 record against the Grizzlies. The first loss was a weird blowout where Memphis started Andrew Harrison and Troy Williams. The second was a stunning collapse where the Warriors blew a 24-point lead and fell apart in crunch time. Remember the on-court argument between Green and Durant? Of course you do; it was just a month ago. Golden State remembers everything about that game, too, and it will be looking for payback. Expect physicality and expect the Warriors to be locked in.
Whither Weber?
Golden State quietly strengthened its bench and balanced its roster last week, signing guard Briante Weber and waiving little-used center Anderson Varejao. Weber didn't get a chance to play against the Kings, but he should get some minutes to try to prove he belongs before his 10-day contract expires. I like his game -- he can give the Warriors some energy and a different look in the backcourt.
BIGGEST ONE-ON-ONE MATCHUP
Durant vs. Westbrook: I'm bending the rules -- these two won't be matched up with each other, except on an occasional switch. It feels wrong to put anything else here, though. Do you really care about Klay Thompson vs. Dwyane Wade or Curry vs. Mike Conley right now? I suppose there's an argument for Curry vs. Westbrook based on the All-Star voting results, but let's be realistic here. Everybody tuning in on Saturday will be primarily interested in how Durant handles the hostile crowd and how Westbrook feeds off it.
