The reaction for Kevin Durant when he was introduced Saturday night as a member of the visiting Warriors for the first time was what you would expect. It was loud. There were boos. It was sustained. Here's what happened:
a very unwarm welcome for Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/Ux4j89QtXS
— Tim Cato (@tim_cato) February 12, 2017
Thunder fans boo Warriors' Kevin Durant during player introductions pic.twitter.com/3BvcIMPzle
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 12, 2017
But, it should also be noted:
The cheers for the Thunder are far louder than the boos for Durant.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) February 12, 2017
There was debate leading up to the game about whether fans should boo or cheer Durant after his eight seasons in OKC. In the end, it's understandable that they felt the need to let him know they didn't approve of his decision to leave them for the team the Thunder nearly beat in the conference finals. Durant left without calling the Thunder players -- only sending out a group text -- after years of telling everyone in OKC how much he wanted to be with the team in that community for his whole career.
But it's over, and now Durant can move on, and to whatever degree they can, the Thunder and Oklahoma City can move on as well. This was the toughest moment, and it's over.
At least until the next time Durant comes to visit with the Warriors.
