Every year the OKC Thunder schedule is released fans quickly scan the list for that special game. You know the one – the first home game against the Golden State Warriors.
Here’s the thing. We don’t want to be obsessed with this game. After all, it’s been more than a year since the incident that put the Warriors on our naughty list in the first place. But while we may have moved on, someone else hasn’t. And, it’s making things really difficult.
I’m looking at you, Kevin Durant.
Every time we turn around, there’s another news article, video or tweet proclaiming the newest way Kevin Durant has blasted his former employer. Digs at Russell Westbrook, shade thrown at the entire team and now the latest:
"I was like, ‘F*** all of them.’ I didn’t have it when they gave my number away. I was, ‘F*** all of them.’ My best friend works for the team, I told him, ‘F*** all y’all. That’s f***ed up.’ Then I had to get out of my head, tell myself, ‘It’s not that serious, it is what it is.’ I understand it’s not my number anymore, they can do whatever they want with it, but you hand that number to a two-way player, you’ve got to be, like, ‘Nah, we’ve got too many good memories with this number, man.’ But at some point, that thing’s going to be in the rafters anyway; it’s all good."
Why is Kevin still mad? He didn’t really expect his jersey to be retired and forever memorialized, did he? We’ve got a new #35. We’ve got Hoodie Melo, PG13, the MVP and the Big Kiwi. We’re fine.
In fact, from a local fan’s perspective, I think our attitude toward the GSW game(s) has shifted. And I believe we’ll witness that tonight. Last year, that first battle of the season was filled with a mixture of emotions summed up as:
Anger and bitterness
We circled the game in our calendars, packed the arena and crowded around the television. We obsessively scrolled through Twitter looking for the latest updates. We booed. We pointed our thumbs to the ground.
This year the date is still saved. We’ll still pack the arena, crowd around the television and watch for updates. But it’ll be different. Tonight, we’ll experience new emotions:
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Pity and apathy
I’ve likened Durant’s departure to a bad breakup before, and he’s not helping diffuse this analogy. It feels like watching your ex talk about you to their friends. From a distance, you can tell they are not quite over it. They haven’t moved on.
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Deep down, you can’t help but feel bad for them. Because, you have moved on. At least, you’re trying to. You’ve got a new circle of friends and you’re doing well, even if you’re still working out the kinks of those new relationships. There are hints they want to get back together with you, and while you aren’t yet sure what to think of it, you ignore them for now. It’s a door you’ll neither open nor close.
Your calendar reminds you that your ex is coming to town for the holidays, and you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach. Not really because you don’t want to see them; instead you just don’t know what to expect.
What will they say now? What will their new friends do this time?
It’s frustrating. You just want to move on. But they keep popping up in your Facebook feed, spewing hate about your past.
It’s a train wreck. And as the saying goes, no one can look away. Even you. You want to be part of the conversation around the water cooler. You can’t miss a single moment, just in case something impossible occurs. After all, you know your ex is a bit of a wild card.
That drama, that train wreck, is exactly why OKC vs Golden State will be the can’t-miss game of the season as long as Durant wears a Warriors jersey.
If KD ever decides to make like Elsa and let it go, maybe we won’t have to circle the date in our calendars. We won’t have to roll our eyes when we see his face on magazine covers or shoe advertisements. We won’t have to shield our children’s ears from his suddenly vulgar vernacular.
Until then, let’s gather for the game tonight—this Thanksgiving eve—and be thankful. We can be amicable exes.
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Kevin, perhaps you can shift your perspective about Oklahoma City from one of bitterness to one of thanks. In return, we’ll do the same for you.