The T-shirts were there, with a derogatory reference, and aso were the fans. From the moment he stepped onto the floor Friday night at TD Garden in Boston, Kevin Durant saw and heard disapproval.
His reply was loud and clear reply: Your bitterness will not bother me.
With boos directed his way, Durant played conceivably his best all-around game since nixing the Celtics and three other teams to join the Warriors in July, contributing 23 points (on 10-of-13 shooting), 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a blocked shot in a 104-88 win over the Celtics.
Durant said he didn’t care about the booing, and that he needs no extra motivation when he takes the court.
“I felt the energy was great to start the game,” he told reporters in Boston. “I just try to play my game and not worry about it, not focus on anybody on the outside of the court. They come to enjoy the show. That’s what it’s all about for them.”
Celtics fans walked out disappointed, largely because of Durant, who met with the team during his free-agent period last summer. That he didn’t sign with Boston left some resentment.
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So they let him know. There were T-shirts, in Celtics green-and-white, printed with the words “Durant is a b----.” There was, especially at the start, noticeable booing.
“Boston fans are very passionate, doesn’t matter what sport, they love their Celtics,” said Klay Thompson, who scored a game-high 28 points. “They might’ve felt like he spurned them, but that’s okay. Like I said, they are passionate . . . I’m sure KD enjoys it. He is a competitor and we enjoy our one trip here a year.”
As his numbers would imply, Durant was a force at both ends of the court, with the most notable highlight coming in the pivotal third quarter. Durant deflected a Boston pass and tipped it to Stephen Curry to initiate a two-on-one fast break punctuated by Durant’s slam off a lob from Curry.
“We knew exactly what we were getting when we got him,” Curry said. “He’s playing as advertised. It’s fun to watch when he’s in a groove.”
The Warriors followed Durant’s lead in the second half, which they opened with a 24-3 run, taking a 79-51 lead with 5:39 left in the third quarter. The Warriors locked up Boston’s offense, holding them to 2-of-17 in the quarter and putting the game out of reach with a 31-9 advantage in the quarter.
“That was amazing,” said Draymond Green, who was his usual disruptive self on defense. “To stay locked in like that the entire quarter was also another things we’ve been talking about. We’ve been getting 16- and 17-point leads the last four or five games – and blowing the lead. We said tonight we wanted to protect the lead and continue to raise it. And we did that.”
By the time the Celtics pulled it together, they had too much ground and too little time to catch up.
They had been burned by Durant, scorched by Thompson and beaten up by center Zaza Pachulia (12 rebounds, three assists, two steals, countless effective screens), who played perhaps his best game as a Warrior.
“Our defense was incredibly active, that was the main thing,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We allowed nine points, if I’m not mistaken in the quarter. Zaza was great and then when we went to the smaller lineup we did a lot of switching and getting our hands in passing lanes, so it was a great stretch and obviously the key to the game.”
Nobody was more satisfied than Durant, not because he had it in for Boston or the Celtics but because his team won its sixth consecutive game while he overcame the sounds of dissent.
“It’s no hard feelings,” he said. “I still got love for Boston, I still love playing here; they’ve got one of the best crowds in the league. That’s what they’re supposed to do.”
