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It hasn't been nearly as huge a storyline this season as we expected it to be, but Kevin Durant's going to be a free agent this summer and, as you might expect, lots of fans would really like the 27-year-old former NBA Most Valuable Player to choose to join their favorite team. With the Oklahoma City Thunder visiting the Boston Celtics for a nationally televised matchup on Wednesday, the fans at TD Garden took it upon themselves to let Durant know they'd like him to consider wearing green next season during a third-quarter trip to the free-throw line:
Then again, maybe it was just the fans' way of saying thank you for Durant's kind words about the Hub of the Universe prior to Wednesday's contest. From Jay King of MassLive.com:
[Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr:*The best slams from all of basketball]
Unfortunately for the C's, Durant's friendly feelings toward Boston and its residents didn't make him any less cold-blooded on the court on Wednesday:
Durant had the game on a string from the early going. He roasted the Celtics' smaller perimeter defenders to the tune of 28 points on 9-for-19 shooting. He operated smoothly and surgically as a playmaker from the middle of the floor and in the pick-and-roll, dishing nine assists against just one turnover in 30 minutes. He also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots, leading the way to a 130-109 win that stands as the biggest four-quarter gouging the C's have suffered in nearly a dozen years.
After the game, reporters asked Durant about the third-quarter chanting. Evidently, it didn't have quite the intended effect:
With teammates like Westbrook and Serge Ibaka leading a deep supporting cast on a team with enough talent to have a puncher's chance against heavyweights like the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, you'd imagine Durant would need to be bowled over by prospective suitors to jump ship this summer. (Well, maybe not all prospective suitors, but probably a suitor like the Celtics.) Even so, you can't blame front offices for getting their ducks in a row to take a shot, and you can't blame fans for unleashing a few hymns of praise ... even if they wind up falling on deaf ears.
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Celtics fans tonight are chanting "Come To Boston" when Kevin @KDTrey5 Durant shoots free throws. pic.twitter.com/8PPtzuhyNf
— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) March 17, 2016
While it was a perfectly warmhearted gesture, we mustn't forget that Durant didn't much appreciate it when Washington Wizards fans went all out with "Come Home KD"/"KD2DC" swag during the Thunder's trip to the nation's capital last season. Earlier this season, he called that display "crazy" and "kind of disrespectful" to the current Wizards; cheer and chant to your heart's content, Celtics fans, but know that you're playing a dangerous game.— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) March 17, 2016
Then again, maybe it was just the fans' way of saying thank you for Durant's kind words about the Hub of the Universe prior to Wednesday's contest. From Jay King of MassLive.com:
"I like the city a lot," Durant said after a shootaround at the TD Garden. "It's cold but they love sports here. It's a family atmosphere I feel when I walk around the city. So yeah, I like it a lot." [...]
"Marcus Smart, he's a terrific competitor," Durant said. "He plays hard. He's a little guy that can defend three positions so I have my work cut out for me. I'm looking forward to it. I've been watching this team a lot. And they're scrappy. They play hard. They love their coach, they love their system, and especially in this building they play with a lot of energy. So it's going to be a tough test."
Durant shared similarly kind remarks with ESPN:[Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr:*The best slams from all of basketball]
defpensports: Kevin Durant talking about Boston and the #Celtics ? ESPN NBA Basketball: Th… https://t.co/xkFwtXZELq pic.twitter.com/VBwzGIA4ev
— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) March 16, 2016
(Then again, perhaps — as Thunder coach Billy Donovan suggested — Durant was just being "respectful" because he's "a great guy.")— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) March 16, 2016
Unfortunately for the C's, Durant's friendly feelings toward Boston and its residents didn't make him any less cold-blooded on the court on Wednesday:
Durant had the game on a string from the early going. He roasted the Celtics' smaller perimeter defenders to the tune of 28 points on 9-for-19 shooting. He operated smoothly and surgically as a playmaker from the middle of the floor and in the pick-and-roll, dishing nine assists against just one turnover in 30 minutes. He also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots, leading the way to a 130-109 win that stands as the biggest four-quarter gouging the C's have suffered in nearly a dozen years.
After the game, reporters asked Durant about the third-quarter chanting. Evidently, it didn't have quite the intended effect:
Kevin Durant asked about the come to Boston chants: "I didn't even hear that, man. Promise." pic.twitter.com/pNXakk8mHG
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 17, 2016
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 17, 2016
"I didn’t even hear that, man. I couldn’t understand what they were saying. They said that? [...] No thoughts, really. I mean, I’m just happy we won."
And, you'd suspect, happy to be playing alongside the likes of All-NBA running buddy Russell Westbrook (24 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in just 26 minutes) and ready reserves like Enes Kanter (17 points and 12 rebounds in 26 minutes), Randy Foye (13 points and four rebounds) and rookie Cameron Payne (six points, four rebounds and four assists). The Thunder never trailed and led by as many as 30 to improve to 46-22, three games clear of the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.With teammates like Westbrook and Serge Ibaka leading a deep supporting cast on a team with enough talent to have a puncher's chance against heavyweights like the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, you'd imagine Durant would need to be bowled over by prospective suitors to jump ship this summer. (Well, maybe not all prospective suitors, but probably a suitor like the Celtics.) Even so, you can't blame front offices for getting their ducks in a row to take a shot, and you can't blame fans for unleashing a few hymns of praise ... even if they wind up falling on deaf ears.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!Follow @YourManDevine
Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.