OAKLAND — Everywhere you went at Oracle Arena late Monday night, after the Golden State Warriors came back from their 3-1 grave to earn a rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals with a 96-88 Game 7 win, there were opinions about Kevin Durant and whether or not the Oklahoma City Thunder had done enough to keep him around when free agency hits on July 1.
Some were informed. Others were not. But the man himself, believe him or not, swears he doesn’t have a view on what his uncertain future might hold.
Not yet, anyways.
“To be honest, I promise you I haven’t thought about that,” Durant told USA TODAY Sports before he headed for the exits. “It’s hard to think about that. Especially right now, especially when you’re battling every single day. It’s hard. Give me a couple weeks and talk to me then, but I just don’t know right now, man.”
For what it’s worth, every clue in the room seemed to indicate a Durant return to the only NBA franchise he’s ever known. But bread crumbs, rest assured, won’t be enough to keep the Thunder brass from sleepless nights in this next month.
First, the obvious: a Thunder team that won 55 games during the regular season, that looked flawed and inferior to the NBA’s elite for so much of the season, came within minutes of going down as the greatest Giant Killers the league had ever seen. They beat the 67-win San Antonio Spurs, then pushed the 73-win Warriors in way that no one saw coming while their coach (first-year man Billy Donovan) and supporting cast (Steven Adams, Enes Kanter, Dion Waiters, Andre Roberson) blossomed before our eyes.
Lest anyone forgot, there had only been three 65-win teams in the history of the game that were stopped short of a title. The Thunder nearly doubled that list on their own. As title contenders go, it’s hard to see a scenario in which Durant is better suited to both contend and maintain his alpha male status anywhere other than with these Thunder.
But with fans and media members listening closely to Durant’s every word after the loss, knowing full well that we won’t likely see him again until free agency visits unfold, it was impossible to miss the fact that he still spoke like a proud member of the Thunder. There was no foot-out-the-door tone, not in his news conference or in our chat afterwards.
“I’m upset (about losing), but I’m the leader of this team,” Durant said. “I’m the leader of this franchise, and I’ve got to go out and represent everyone. I’ve got to win with class and dignity, and I’ve also got to lose with the same class and dignity.
“So of course I’m pissed. I wish we would’ve won. I’ll be thinking about it for the rest of the summer. But I’m the representation of this team. And when people see me, they think about the organization, so I have to represent it in a better light … I also have to let them know, really, what this is all about and look at the big picture, so I feel like I’m representing a lot of people besides myself.”
When Durant goes back to watch the Western Conference Finals film, he’ll be the first to admit that he could have been better. While he led all scorers in the series (30 points per game), he shot just 42.3% overall (his regular season mark was 50.5%) and 28.6% from three-point range (he was 38.6% during the season). His relentless effort on defense may have played a part, as he used his long arms and underrated speed to frustrate the Warriors at every turn.
As he sees it, though, the most important part is that he never allowed himself to be distracted by the free agency chatter that has surrounded him for the past few years.
“That’s how I can tell I matured, you know?” he said in the extended conversation. “If this would have happened four years ago, I would have been everywhere – my mind would have been everywhere. So I’m happy that I was able to focus and lock in and give my all to my team every single night. Every game in these playoffs. Every game throughout the season, I was mentally, emotionally invested, physically invested in this team. I’m proud of the way I handled myself.”
The maturation process around him was a sight to behold, and the reality that so many of the Thunder’s role players are so young will certainly be part of their loaded pitch. Adams, who looked at times like someone who is headed for several All-Star games, is 22. Kanter, who silenced so many of his critics during these playoffs, is 24. Roberson, whose offense was inconsistent but whose defense proved to be elite, is also 24.
“We all grew up,” Durant said. “I think more than anything, we embraced the moment. We stayed in the moment every game. I’m more proud because most of these guys haven’t played in this atmosphere before.
“From (fellow free-agent-to-be) Dion (Waiters) to Enes to Andre, Steven – this is his first time as a starter playing, in this type of atmosphere as one of the main guys,” Durant said. “(Veteran) Randy (Foye) never made it to the Western Conference Finals, and he played a lot. Anthony Morrow had never made it to the playoffs, so I was just proud of how everyone just stayed in the moment and enjoyed it. That’s what I’m most proud of.”
And then, the curious kicker.
“I see bright things for this team,” he added. “And it’s great to be a part of it.”
