On the surface, the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics match up seems like any other ordinary regular season game. The two teams will meet this Friday at the Celtics' home court. But if you dig deeper, it definitely has some deeper meaning to it. That's because the Boston Celtics were one of several teams, including the Warriors, who tried to recruit Kevin Durant out of the Oklahoma City Thunder during last summer's free agency period. They eventually lost as Kevin Durant chose to sign with the Warriors. That didn't sit too well with some individuals in the Boston area.
"What can they be mad about?" Kevin Durant said on Wednesday night, when asked about how the Celtics faithful might receive him on Friday. "I never played there. I never said I was going there. But they're going to support their team. It's one of the best fan bases in the league -- top 5, easily. So, no matter who goes in there, they're going to boo them. But I have no attachment to Boston at all."
One of the individuals who was obviously not happy with all of this was Celtics forward Jae Crowder. Three weeks after Kevin Durant chose Golden State, Crowder told MassLive.com, "We were the only team in the NBA to beat Golden State and the Cleveland Cavaliers on their home court. The only team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics. We told him that. We played him clips from both games and told him basically the scouting report of how we guarded Steph Curry and Klay Thompson -- our entire game plan, basically. That's what made me mad. We f---ing told him everything we do to beat these guys, and we beat them, and he went and joined them. Afterward, I was talking to Isaiah Thomas, like maybe after you sit back, we shouldn't have told him everything, but who the f--- thought he was going to Golden State, realistically? It was like a slap in the face for us, basically."
Asked on what he taught of Crowder's comments, the 28-year-old Kevin Durant said, "Nah, it don't bother me. All these guys that you ask the same questions, you know what you're going to get from them. So you're asking the same questions. Why am I going to be mad about a guy who has an opinion? I respect all these players. If they don't respect what I did, I can't control that."
When the Celtics made their pitch to KD at The Hamptons outside of New York, the entourage included General Manager and President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge, Steve Pagliuca and Celtics players Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk and Marcus Smart. They even brought with them superstar quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. Kevin Durant was left "awestruck" with the presence of Brady. But that didn't sway him into joining the Celtics.
Fans expecting a Durant-Crowder match-up this Friday would have to wait. The Celtics forward sprained his right ankle in their game against the Chicago Bulls and has missed their past seven games. It's still unclear whether he'll suit up in on Friday.
