Durant remembers the 'fun times' with Westbrook and Harden on Thunder
As Kevin Durant gets set to go head-to-head with ex-teammates Russell Westbrook (on Wednesday) and James Harden (on Friday), the Golden State Warriors superstar took time to reflect on the "fun times" he spent in Oklahoma City with this year's MVP frontrunners.
“It’s easy to say we were supposed to be together for the rest of our careers, but it didn’t play out like that,” Durant told Anthony Slater of the Bay Area News Group recently. “I think all three of us will have memorable careers. And it’ll be a journey we’ll always remember, something that’s different and unique, playing with two different guys who are doing incredible things in the league right now. But when you look back, think about the fun times instead of what could’ve been.”
Though the trio — who advanced to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals during their three years together (2009-2012) — had the potential to evolve into the NBA's most dominant franchise, Durant said they "never looked at it that way, like we could be best of all-time."
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“It was really AAU basketball, man," Durant told Slater. "We were just having fun. We weren’t listening to anyone on the outside, media, none of that. It was just pure fun. When we did hear something about the group, it was like, what is this? That was so foreign to us because we never paid attention to it.”
But now, with Harden pushing Houston to new heights, Westbrook breaking records in Oklahoma City and Durant looking to lead the Warriors to the first championship of his career, he can't help but notice the stat-stuffing seasons his former running mates are putting together.
“I just look at the numbers, man. I see it here and there. This (stuff) is ridiculous.”
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