It was billed as the KD vs. Russ show, but it’s always about the teams, not the individuals. It was KD’s first trip back to OKC since his “defection” to Golden State. And the fans, and the city of Oklahoma City was lathered up! There were signs, chants and vitriol all directed at Kevin Durant for his decision to leave OKC and join Steph Curry and company in Oakland.
Leading up to this matchup the Warriors and Thunder had met in Oakland twice, with Golden State winning both matchups. Durant had 2 of his highest scoring games of the season (42 and 39), and the Warriors won by 20+ on both occasions. This time, with a change of scenery, it was thought that the Thunder would be able to make the game more competitive and possibly come away with a win.
But instead the city decided to engage in a bit of name calling that did nothing but fire up KD and his Warrior teammates. After streaming out to an early lead in the first quarter, the Warriors went on a run that led to a 23 point half point lead. Russ was having his usual good game, but the rest of the Thunder were not.
He was called #Cupcake, traitor, #soft, but in the end, he did what he had to do. KD led the way for GSW with 34 points, while Russ chipped in 47 for OKC in a losing effort. In short this was another dominant performance by GSW and another loss for OKC.
Many people thought this matchup would develop into a rivalry, but it’s only a rivalry when the other team offers resistance, and actually wins some games. At present, OKC has lost 6 straight, including the last 3 games of the Western Conference Finals, and they have just not looked good with their 1 superstar, Russell Westbrook.
Last night’s game kinda leads us to understand why KD left OKC. Russ is so ball dominant, that the offense becomes stagnant when he decides to go 1-on-1. There were several moments in the 2nd half when KD was matched up 1-on-1 with Russ, and Russ could not resist the temptation to try and take it to his former teammate. This is one of the things that KD complained about throughout his time with Russ in OKC.
Now he’s on a team that’s predicated on ball movement and team play, and is flourishing. If KD’s goal was to become a part of a squad that was more conducive to his goals and natural skills, he’s found the right place. Does it excuse the perception of his lack of desire to compete AGAINST the best? Not really. He’ll probably never be able to live that down, but he has definitely aligned himself with a team/organization that is ready to win now and in the foreseeable future.
In the first matchup, the Atlanta Falcons dominated the bullies known as the Seattle Seahawks. This year’s probable MVP, Matt Ryan and his favorite target, Julio Jones, shredded the Seahawk secondary, while Devontae Freeman and Tevin Coleman did great work on the ground. They frustrated the Seahawks from start to finish in a 36-20 victory, even causing Seahawks Michael Bennet to lose it in the locker room during a post game interview. Good riddens!!! We are all too tired of watching the Seahawks sideline antics.
In the AFC the Patriots were coming off their 8th consecutive division title and we’re playing against the offensively challenged Texans. The Texans have the #1 defense in the league, but if you can’t score TDs against Tom Brady and the Patriots, you have no shot, and the result was as we expected. The Patriots didn’t play a great game, but they did enough to win handily by a score of 34-16. Brady threw 2 interceptions, after only throwing 2 all season. The Texans Brock Osweiler experiment was a total and complete failure. Give me the $70 million, I think I could average more than 4.9 yards per pass attempt.
The Patriot’s opponent will be the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game was delayed 7 hours due to an ice storm that never materialized. At any rate, the Steelers had their way with the Chiefs between the 20s, but couldn’t punch it in the end zone. Chris Boswell’s 6 field goals were the only scoring that the Steelers could muster. The Chiefs were able to get in the end zone twice, and score a field goal, but their inability to be successful on a 2-point conversion in the last two minutes proved to be their downfall. Goodnight KC, guess you’ll have to drown your sorrows in some BBQ sauce tonight.
But here’s the kicker. When he returned to the Knicks, there were NO CONSEQUENCES! He was simply inserted into the starting lineup of the next game as though nothing happened. This might explain why the Knicks organization is in somewhat of a shambles.
So Rose will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and is looking for a big payday. But if I’m the Knicks front office I don’t know if I’d be willing to sign him to a max deal. This guy has become a head case.
In what can only be called epic, Watson marched the Tigers down the field, methodically picking apart the vaunted Bama defense. Clemson could taste victory, and Bama was reeling. With 1 sec left on the clock Watson throws the winning TD to his favorite receiver.
On another play in which Thomas Rawls took off on a long run, there was an obvious block in the back by golden boy Russell Wilson that also was not called.
