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December 3, 10:00 PM
"OKC! OKC!"
In the Chesapeake Energy Arena, the die-hard Thunder fans shouted loudly, and the sound echoed throughout the stadium, almost bringing the roof down.
On the court, the game between the Thunder and the Raptors was coming to its final moments. In this game, the Raptors played hard. Banyani and Lowry performed well, scoring 23 points and 16 points with 6 assists respectively, facing off against the Thunder, who were in fourth place in the West. The Raptors didn't back down. At this point, the game was entering the final 2 minutes of the fourth quarter, with the Raptors still leading the Thunder by 2 points, 98-96.
The lineup left on the court for the Thunder was Westbrook, Durant, James Harden, Jeff Green, and Ibaka. Off to the side, Brooks furrowed his brow. He really didn't expect the Thunder to struggle so much against a rebuilding Raptors team.
At that moment, the Thunder began their offensive round. Westbrook dribbled slowly past half-court, raised his hand to signal his teammates' run, and Durant made his way to the free-throw line with the help of Ibaka's screen. Westbrook passed the ball, and Durant shot the ball after receiving it, ignoring Amir Johnson's interference, and the basketball went straight through the hoop.
Roar!
"KD, you're the best!"
"KD, oh oh, kill them!"
The already loud decibels in the arena rose even higher, and fans raised their arms to give their most passionate support to their scoring champion.
Durant lived up to the fans' expectations, scoring six consecutive points in the following two minutes, with his mid-range shots proving unstoppable. He led the Thunder to win this tight battle and successfully defended their home court.
As Durant continued scoring one after another, Brooks' expression gradually relaxed, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
Tonight, the Raptors had the advantage and led for most of the game, while the Thunder players were too relaxed, defensively loose, and lacked intensity. Brooks had been prepared to lose the game, but he didn't expect Durant to win it in the final moments, which made him very happy.
The Thunder are currently in fourth place in the West with a record of 13-6, just one win behind the Mavericks ahead of them and the Jazz trailing them.
After the game, Brooks took Durant and participated in the post-game interview, praising Durant:
"Kevin showed the world what a scorer is, he's a scoring machine, and I can't wait to see how he plays in the playoffs."
This season, the Thunder's goal is to reach the playoffs, and the team has not shied away from this ambition. Their current record is enough to support that goal.
The Thunder has never made it to the playoffs since moving to Oklahoma, and it's been five years without playoffs, including the SuperSonics years. But this year, they're destined to make it to the playoffs.
When a reporter turned to ask Durant if the Thunder could make it to the playoffs this season, Durant looked down at the speech prepared for him by the team's public relations and responded unfiltered:
"We'll do the best we can, and I think we have a chance to get back to the playoffs this year."
Not surprised, the reporter who asked the question continued:
"What do you think of your next opponent, the Golden State Warriors?"
Durant continued looking at the speech and then said:
"The Warriors are also a young team, they're strong, but we're not intimidated, and I'll give my best on the court..."
Afterward, the reporter asked Durant a few more questions about how he got along with his teammates and how hard he trained. The interview ended without any formal goodbyes. Durant said goodbye to the reporter, stood up, and left the room.
Outside the door was the Thunder's PR person, who slapped Durant's forearm and smiled:
"Kevin, your interview was perfect."
Durant smiled and was about to leave, but the PR person suddenly stopped him, looking puzzled:
"KD, where's your backpack?"
Durant paused, tilted his head, and responded:
"I forgot it in the locker room."
"Oh..." the PR person said, then warned: "Don't forget to put it on your back next time, especially when you're doing an interview."
Durant's face froze, and he muttered "Understood" in a muffled voice, then walked toward the locker room with a slightly gloomy expression.
When he returned to the locker room, his teammates were already halfway out, so he packed his things, grabbed his backpack from his seat, and walked to the parking lot.
Once at his parking spot, Durant got into his favorite Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG sports car and drove off.
When he got home, Durant collapsed onto the large sofa, threw his backpack onto the carpet, stared at the high ceiling for a moment, and fiddled with his phone.
He was a loyal Apple user and owned every generation of smartphones released by Apple. Especially after the launch of the iPhone 4G in June this year, which was a game-changer, Durant became completely captivated by the smartphone and spent a lot of time on his phone every day, buying social software.
He skillfully opened Twitter, switched to the trumpet, typed his name, and searched for the latest tweets about himself.
Durant hadn't been using Twitter much before, but one summer, he accidentally liked a photo posted by a "celebrity" with a sexy body on Twitter, which didn't fit his youthful "college kid" image, sparking discussions among fans.
At his agent's suggestion, Durant created several small accounts that could be shared and commented on the internet without being tied to his main account.
Lazily lying on the couch, Durant saw fans praising him for his 35 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in the game tonight against the Raptors, and the final moment where he played the savior. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but smile.
But Twitter isn't the Chesapeake Energy Arena, and even if it were, not every spectator there is a fan of Durant. Soon, Durant saw a tweet that bothered him:
"Come on, Durant even struggles to play against a rebuilt Raptor team, what's there to brag about?"
"Wow..." he exhaled deeply, squinting his eyes, and continued scrolling through the comments on Twitter.
"Struggling against the Raptors? Is that really happening?"
"This is KD's fourth season, he's been an All-Star, and he won the scoring title. And the Thunder are now fourth in the West, so what's wrong with struggling?"
"Well said!" Durant nodded repeatedly, letting out a low grunt of relief. He should see how this "sunspot" was taken down by his followers.
But soon, Kuroko started responding to the comments:
"Heh, after playing in the NBA for four years, he only made it to one All-Star game as a reserve, and you're embarrassed to mention the scoring champion?" He didn't even make the playoffs, just brushing through."
When Durant saw this, not only did he not get angry, but he also laughed out loud and responded:
"Bro, are you crazy? Is this really a black mark?"
After waiting a while, Kuroko replied:
"Isn't it? Stephen Curry was selected to the best second team with Durant in his rookie season, or did he start in the All-Star Game? He led the team to the playoffs and now has the Warriors in first place, with a scoring average only 0.1 points behind Durant. Isn't that much better than Durant?" Durant was stunned for a moment, then was about to respond, but his fingers hovered over the screen, unsure of what to say.
He hated the "brush" comment. It was really ineffective during his rookie season, and people often called him "brush," but he's been a high-efficiency scorer since his second season, and no one has called him that in a long time.
But Kuroko just listed the facts. Curry only played one year, and the honors he achieved equaled Durant's three years in the league, and Durant honestly didn't know how to refute it.
Fortunately, he still had a lot of followers, and just as Durant was organizing his words, his fans responded:
"Curry will win a scoring title first, and then you'll see how the All-Star starters were chosen. Without the Chinese votes, could Curry even start in the All-Star Game?"
Kuroko replied:
"Haha, anyway, Durant is on the bench, Curry is the starter, no matter what you say, you can't change the facts."
"Better for Curry to win the scoring title first, then compete with Durant."
"Durant should make it to the playoffs first, then compare himself to Curry."
"Falk squid! I wish Curry a car accident!"
"Heh, say what you will, but I'm not a Curry fan, so I wish Durant a car accident."
Durant couldn't take it anymore and responded:
"You're just a piece of crap, barking garbage on the internet. Did Durant recruit you to mess with him and curse someone you don't even know?"
Kuroko responded:
"I just can't stand Durant, I just want to scold him, come bite me ~"
There were also others responding to Durant:
"Ignore him, bro, this guy often hacks KD, he's an xx."
Durant let out a long sigh and hung up the phone.
He had seen malicious comments about him before, but when he encountered them again today, he still couldn't help but get angry, especially when Kuroko used Curry as a weapon to pressure him, leaving him powerless to refute.
He knew Curry was a first-star player, but All-Star games and playoffs are real, and Curry's achievements in his rookie season were on par with the praise Durant had received over his three years in the league, making it difficult for Durant, who is also a star of the new generation, not to be surprised.
When Curry was still in the NCAA, he once came to Oklahoma to play, and the game was held at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Durant and Westbrook watched the game live, and after the game, Durant even talked to Curry. He never dreamed that Curry's achievements in the NCAA would be much higher than his, and that Curry would even enter the NBA as a leader, personally blocking the Thunder from the playoffs last season.
In reality, there was no bad blood between him and Curry. The Thunder didn't make the playoffs last season due to a lack of strength, and they couldn't blame anyone else. But they were both in the West, both on the roster, and both new-generation stars, so the outside world naturally compared them. Even because of the Warriors' sharpshooting against the Thunder, many media outlets began exaggerating the hostile relationship between Durant and Curry.
And many people supported this view, with more and more fans comparing Curry and Durant together.
They had good reasons. The Warriors and Thunder are mostly young, and both teams have risen quickly this season. There are many similarities in their playing styles, and the stars are excellent at shooting. For a long time in the foreseeable future, both teams would be rivals. But unfortunately, Curry and Durant aren't in the same position. Otherwise, their "eternal enemy" relationship wouldn't hold.
But even so, Durant still felt very uncomfortable. He was the most high-profile new-generation star, with his incredible talent. Almost everyone thought he would be the future superstar, the ruler of the league. But after Rose and Curry entered the league, people's attention began to shift to them, and Durant felt he was no longer the "favorite."
Rose was fine, after all, he was in the East, and it was well-known that the West is strong and the East is weak. It's not that hard for an East team to make the playoffs, and he and Rose only play against each other twice a year, with little intersection.
But Curry was different. The Thunder didn't make the playoffs last season, and the Warriors' sharpshooters were a critical factor. According to Durant's agent team's analysis, Durant didn't make the playoffs, a major reason he wasn't selected to the best team.
And not only on the court, but off it as well, Curry was also the image of a "good guy," which overlapped greatly with Durant. It was undeniable that Curry's external image was much stronger than Durant's. His background and skin color also made it easier for him to win the favor of brands, unlike Durant.
This summer, a small expired American brand didn't renew its contract with Durant but signed Curry as their spokesperson. The consumer group for this brand consists of elementary school students in the U.S., whose parents prefer to make Curry and Durant their children's idols and are willing to pay for their sponsorships.
In the NBA, Durant is the first choice for such brands. It's not by chance that he always carries a backpack, even when he's interviewed. Given Durant's character, he doesn't want to carry a backpack all the time.
He had been a proud son since high school, a talented high school student destined to enter the NBA. He grew up in the spotlight, was influenced by Vanity Fair, and signed a 7-year, $60 million contract with Nike before entering the NBA. How could he be just a simple big kid as the world outside thinks?
But now, Curry is obviously more popular among such brands. According to the analysis by Durant's agency team, Curry and Durant will have a greater degree of competition in the commercial development field in the future, and it will be hard for Durant to win the race.
The previous life of Liam Gonzalez, Curry's rise, and Durant's "Du backpack" are almost perfectly aligned. There wasn't much competition between the two on and off the court, but now it's different. In the critical period of Durant's rise, Curry was born, and the two formed a direct competitive relationship. Without a doubt, Curry has the advantage.
The more Durant thought about it, the more uncomfortable he became. He threw his phone on the couch and stood up to go to the bathroom.
Standing in front of the mirror, Durant looked at himself and whispered to himself:
"I want to dominate those sunspots. I will make everyone recognize my strength, and everyone..."
End of this chapter
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