Kevin Durant made his much anticipated return to Oklahoma City on Saturday night and, in many ways, things went perfectly for the former NBA MVP. Durant finished the evening with 34 points, including an incredibly deep dagger three-pointer over Russell Westbrook, to go along with nine rebounds and that was enough to buoy the Golden State Warriors to a lopsided 130-114 victory.
As you may expect, Durant was not treated with a great deal of care by the assembled Thunder fans, who booed him mercilessly before tip-off and kept a torrid pace throughout the 48-minute game. However, Durant was not deterred by the negativity and, in the post-game interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters, the talented forward let the OKC fan base know that he wasn't bothered by the volume.
This was clearly an example of Durant taking a parting shot at the crowd but, in this case, it isn't difficult to see why. Durant was fantastic throughout a near decade-long career with the Thunder, and while the reception wasn't surprising in the slightest, he likely feels as if he did plenty to help Oklahoma City grow as a basketball town during his tenure.
There will always been an extra layer when it comes to Kevin Durant and any subsequent visit to Oklahoma City, but he navigated his first return trip beautifully and this final blow was just one indication.
