Drama overshadows blowout in Kevin Durant's 1st game back in OKC

Kevin Durant’s first game back in Oklahoma City as a member of the Golden State Warriors was always going to be one of the biggest events of the 2016-17 season. Yet few predicted that it would hold so much intensity, drama, and excitement it would provide even as any objective look at the score indicated the result was all but decided.

The Warriors dominated Saturday night’s matchup at Chesapeake Energy Arena, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 130-114 to sweep the season series with three comfortable wins. Golden State led by 23 at the half, never saw the margin dip below double digits after the 10:15 mark of the second quarter, and emptied the bench in the final few minutes. By all accounts, this game was not close.

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It remained enthralling for all 48 minutes anyway. A crowd that showered Durant with boos and “cupcake” references upon his pre-game introduction kept the energy high throughout, creating a playoff atmosphere that seemed to affect the effort levels of both the Thunder and Warriors. The scene got especially intense towards the end of the third quarter, when Durant and former co-star Russell Westbrook jawed at each other during a stoppage in play:

Lip-readers relayed that Westbrook had repeated “I’m coming,” which Durant apparently responded to with classic comebacks like “You’re gonna lose” and “So what.” No matter the quality of the trash talk, every minor threat from the Thunder or moment of animosity from there on out occasioned a roar from the crowd. That was especially the case several minute later, when Durant went nose-to-nose with OKC wing Anthony Roberson:

Durant, Roberson, and Andre Iguodala all earned technical fouls from the incident, after which the Thunder managed to cut the lead to 105-88 before the third-quarter buzzer. On most nights, that would be a random swing on the path to a predictable blowout. On Saturday, though, it read as a significant shift in momentum. The Thunder didn’t manage to get the margin any lower than 12 points in the fourth, but this was not a game defined by logic and calm considerations of the state of play. The fans wanted a game of extremes, and they got one.

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Fittingly, it took this 30-footer from Durant over Westbrook to convince everyone the game was finally over:

Of course, the sniping didn’t stop there. Durant also said he “actually thought it would be a little louder” in his post-game interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters:

That reaction fit with the Warriors’ approach to the night as a whole. The presence of the crowd made the Thunder the aggressors in this feud, but the Warriors didn’t sit quietly. They even wore the cupcake t-shirts that littered the stands after the game:

It was a unique atmosphere, to put it mildly. However, the game itself followed the same script as the two previous meetings between these teams at Oracle Arena. The final result gives the Warriors a 373-310 total advantage over the Thunder in their three games this season for an average score of 124.3 to 103.3. Put even more simply, all available evidence says that Golden State has an overwhelming advantage in this matchup.

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The box score tells a clear enough story — the Warriors shot 52.9 percent from the field, made 41.9 percent of their threes (13-of-31), and balanced 28 assists with only 11 turnovers. Durant, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green all finished with a plus-minus of plus-12 or better, and lead reserve Andre Iguodala logged an absurd plus-31 in only 28 minutes. Their best lineups are too much for the Thunder to handle, especially when they shoot only 6-of-24 from long range for the night (including 0-of-11 in the first half).

Durant, for his part, made OKC fans even more upset by showing them what they’re missing. His 34 points (13-of-21 FG, 3-of-6 3FG, 7-of-7 FT) were efficient, to-the-point, and impossible to stop:

He was far from the only star. Curry flirted with a triple-double (26 points, eight rebounds, nine assists) and committed no turnovers. Klay Thompson returned to the scene of his electric Western Conference Finals Game 6 performance and put up 26 points on only 12 shots. Even JaVale McGee excelled with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting.

By contrast, the Thunder had to depend on Westbrook for the bulk of their production. His final line is incredible — 47 points (14-of-26 FG, 16-of-18 FT), 11 rebounds, and eight assists. But he also turned it over 11 times (seven in the first half) and only looked at his best when OKC was facing an untenable deficit. Only Victor Oladipo and Steven Adams joined him in double figures.

So, yes, these teams aren’t exactly evenly matched. Nevertheless, it was difficult to watch this game and not pine for a playoff series between these teams. The circumstances of Saturday’s game were one of a kind, but the after-effects of last spring’s seven-game conference finals and Durant’s summer move have combined to make for a rivalry that doesn’t require a close score to stay compelling. These teams don’t like each other at all, and that makes every meeting an event. It’s hard to ask for much more.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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