Thunderous Thoughts: Won’t be fooled again
Welcome to Thunderous Thoughts, your weekly look at the OKC Thunder where we are not fooled by trolls.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are friends again. Until Saturday.
It was weird seeing Thunder fans so happy over Durant during All-Star weekend. Durant has moved past the beef, which is good for him. It’s easy to move on when you’re the one who hurt the other and you ended up in a better situation. I’m shocked it took him this long.
Westbrook is quick to point out that they aren’t friends. They’re just talking. It’s a step in the right direction, if you want them to be best friends again, but it also shows that Westbrook isn’t so quickly to forgive. Good. An angry Westbrook is who the Thunder need heading into the playoffs.
It’s a Westbrook they’ll need on Saturday.
For every Thunder fan who got excited about Westbrook and Durant being friends again and who talked themselves into thinking Durant will return this offseason, just remember that on Saturday.
Let’s not forget that Durant is a master troll. He trolled Thunder fans for years into thinking he was going to stick around in 2016. He created fake Twitter accounts to troll fans. He’s just as petty as Westbrook, he just doesn’t own it in the same. He’s a troll who wants forgiveness. A troll who wants to be liked.
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He trolled Westbrook last weekend. After getting trounced by Oklahoma City in two games this season, the Warriors needed a new plan. Despite having a style that is easy to defend, Westbrook has torched Golden State in both games. Unlike last year, he has a team around him that is good enough to get up for these games.
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Angering Westbrook goes one of two ways. He either implodes and kills the team he’s on. Or he explodes and kills the team he’s facing. He’s exploded in both Warriors matchups.
The Warriors needed a new approach. Enter master troll, Kevin Durant. 50 percent of this came out of necessity. Remember, Durant wants to be loved. With his three teammates on the opposite squad, Durant would have been a lonely man on All-Star weekend. He was on a team with LeBron James, his biggest on-court rival, and Westbrook, his biggest rival. On top of that, Paul George, Westrbook’s new best friend and Durant’s replacement, was on the team. Even Victor Oladipo, Westbrook’s running mate last season, was on the team.
2018 All-Star Kevin Durant was 2017 All-Star Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook doesn’t care if he’s liked and didn’t try to make friends. But, Durant is the opposite. Half the reason why Durant wanted to be on good terms with his former teammate is because he was forced to and that’s just his personalty.
But the other half is because it’s a tactic. Be friends with your enemy and they won’t try as hard. It’s the same tactic that worked on Durant in the 2016 playoffs.
Don’t be fooled by Durant reminiscing about the days of throwing lobs to Westbrook or the laughs and smiles the two shared last weekend. You’ll regret it on Saturday.
Other OKC Thunder Thoughts
*Where is Tony Allen? I’m not saying he’s the answer, but he can’t be as big of a liability as Terrance Ferguson is right now. It feels like something bigger is at play than the Thunder just not signing him given the reports leading up to the trade deadline. His injuries have to be worse than anyone imagined with this not happening yet.
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*Speaking on Ferguson, he can’t play meaningful minutes anymore. He’s Alex Abrines from last year, only not as reliable from deep. Additionally, they have Alex Abrines from this year, who has been better on the defensive end in recent games. Josh Huestis and Abrines have to play the bulk of the shooting guard minutes.
*It was nice to beat the Kings because beating the Warriors three times in a season just feels like a monumental task. Especially with the first two games being blowouts.