Most Oklahoma City Thunder fans completely despise Kevin Durant after he left.  Each time he returns to Chesapeake Arena, he is an opponent, instead of a teammate, and the still-recent wounds are re-opened.

When he was here in Oklahoma City, everyone praised him and loved him. He led the Thunder to many Western Conference Finals and even an NBA Finals appearance. They even opened a restaurant called “KD’s” in Oklahoma City.

He was one of the best players on the team, and basically had the city on his back. He did not tell anyone on his team, or even his best friend, Russell Westbrook, that he was going to another team. To add insult to injury, that other team was the Thunder’s primary in-conference rival, the Golden State Warriors.

Kevin basically just betrayed not only the team, but the city, and whole state of Oklahoma. Everyone loved him here, and now he is one of the most hated people in Oklahoma, labeled and mocked as a cupcake by his former fans.

Kevin played for the Thunder for nine years. He was the team leader. Although Russell Westbrook has led the Thunder to a great season and is currently second in the MVP voting, losing Durant is still the elephant stomping at center court every time the Thunder team faces off against their former leader.

The Thunder are the second seed in the Northwest division, with a 41-30 record going into the last 11 games of the regular season. The Golden State Warriors, however, are the best team in the whole Western division, boasting a 57-14 season. They are also the best team in the NBA, only made better by the addition of Durant.

It’s clear the loss of Durant still haunts the Thunder team.  Even from the bench, sidelined by an injury, he challenged the Thunder mentally during the final regular season match between the two teams.  The Warriors will most likely take the conference title and make a run for the NBA title, while the highlight of the Thunder season will remain Westbrook’s quest to break the triple-double record… unless the escalating tension between the two teams produces a Serge Ibaka style smackdown!