Durant Makes Plea to NBA Officials: ‘S— Talking Is Part of the Game'

OAKLAND -- Kevin Durant wishes more NBA officials had a better grasp of the language of the game.

They don't seem to understand that "trash talk" almost always is little more than an act in which healthy emotions are released. It's as much of the game on the court as pointing out a bad haircut or a fashion error in the locker room.

"I was raised that if you weren't talking on the court, then something (bad) is going on," Durant said after Warriors practice on Friday.

Durant caught a glimpse of the chatter earlier this week between former Oklahoma City teammate Russell Westbrook and Houston guard Patrick Beverley in decisive Game 5 of the Thunder-Rockets series and was disappointed when the officials slapped each with a technical foul.

"I was like, ‘Man, just play on. It's a part of the game,'" Durant said.

Though Durant himself is not a premier trash-talker, he plays alongside one in fellow forward Draymond Green.

"That's why we started playing, to talk a little s--- here and there," said Durant, who grew up in the Washington D.C. area. "Draymond is really good at it. There are a lot of guys in the league that are good. More guys are quiet now than before.

"But s--- talking is a part of the game. I love it. It's fun when you're on the same team as a guy that does it. And then, when you're playing against it, it's even better because it brings the best out of you."

For Durant, there always will be a place for trash talk on the court. Not only did he experience it while growing up but he also was indoctrinated in the practice from the moment he arrived in the NBA in 2007.

He recalls, with fondness, being targeted as a rookie by Kevin Garnett and a few other Celtics.

"When I came into the league, that's when the Celtics had just got together," Durant said. "Paul Pierce and KG and those guys talked bad to me as a rookie. I was 19. And they talked so bad to me. And I was talking right back. It was just a fun exchange. That's what basketball is about."

Now if only he could get officials to realize this.

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