Views from OKC: Reaction to Kevin Durant winning a title

Views from OKC is a public diary from an OKC Thunder fan. Today we address why we (Thunder fans) will never be happy for Kevin Durant.

With 58 seconds left in Game Five of the NBA Finals I left the room. I didn’t want to watch Kevin Durant celebrate one of the easiest Finals wins in NBA history, nor did I want to witness him receive his much deserved Finals MVP trophy. But I did watch this:

And this:

And most definitely this:

https://twitter.com/NBA_Skits/status/874507224638476288

Call me a hater. Because I’m guilty as charged.

When Kevin Durant left on July 4th we all understood the inevitable. We knew that the Warriors would win a title by 2018 at the latest. We knew he would play basketball at a higher level, simply because he would be surrounded by an already all-time great NBA team. What we didn’t know is how Durant would evolve into an entire new persona.

First we got a measly letter in the Player’s Tribune. After all the time, money and effort Durant spent on the city that “truly raised him” we expected more. (Granted, we also expected more in Games Five-Seven of the 2016 Western Conference Finals.) He could have made a more grand gesture, but that pain washed away after about a month.

The real pain came once the season started.

Because of a superstar’s decision in free agency, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Russell Westbrook had a spotlight like never before. For some reason people focused on the reasons why KD left instead of why he signed with Golden State; OKC couldn’t get a positive word said about them. Westbrook was a crazy person, the Thunder’s supporting cast wasn’t good enough and Oklahoma City was boring. The sad part was Durant never tried to stop these narratives because it was the only way to take the heat off himself.

When the Warriors finally came to Oklahoma to face the Thunder my adopted city showed tf up. They went after KD with no mercy, even after the future NBA champs were up by 20. After it was all over Durant gave multiple accounts of his feelings, depending on who was asking the question and what type of question they were asking.

After the game: “The crowd was amazing. They were loud – as loud as I’ve ever heard them.”

Also after the game: “I actually thought it would be louder, but it was fun.”

Fast forward through all the questioning during the season, all the instances in which Durant flipped his stance or went after fans, and meet me at the NBA Finals.

Almost a full year removed and Durant still didn’t have his story lined up. The NBA’s resident people-pleaser had a hard time dealing with backlash, so he said anything that might please the most people. It’s a shame (for him) that we’re in 2017 and technology allows us to pull quotes from the past.

Through it all, there was .001% of me that couldn’t help but be happy for KD. He got what he wanted, and as a fellow human being, I can respect someone that gets what they want. But then Lee Jenkins’ story came out after the Warriors got their chip.

If Kevin Durant would have won a title this season in Boston, Washington or Miami the tone of this would be different. In fact it would be one of slight happiness for the kid. But he didn’t. He went to an established team, a team that had already won a ring without him.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

I want to be happy for KD. I really do. But ever since July 4th he has done little to reconcile the broken relationship with NBA fans, let alone us Thunder fans. But here’s the kicker…

We love our new team. Even those that weren’t on the Russell Westbrook train before (I know I’m not the only one) hopped on as the season progressed. We created bonds with random role players. We cheered for a team that had little expectations; it was gratifying.

When Russell Westbrook lifts up the MVP on June 26th we’ll be reminded of the incredible moments from this year. The season didn’t end with a championship, just like it didn’t for 28 other franchises. Even without Kevin Durant we had a good time cheering for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season.

That’s all that matters.