He’s not worried about haters.
As he sat there on the court during Game 5 the NBA Finals just a few months ago, no one was sure what the future held for Kevin Durant. At that moment Durant’s teammates rallied around him to make sure he was taken care , but in the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, fans began to jeer. The booing may have been unsportsmanlike, but in the tense series between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors, it wasn’t really unexpected.
Durant’s Achilles injury put him out the remainder the series, and ultimately, the Warriors fell to the Raptors in Game 6. During this time recovery, Durant has had time to reflect on his last moments during the finals, and he told Yahoo! Sports‘ Chris Haynes that he isn’t bitter about the Raptors fans booing—in fact, he doesn’t remember even hearing it at all. “It will probably be the last time they will be in the Finals,” he told the publication with a sly smile.
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The now-Brooklyn Nets baller also wanted to lay to rest any rumors that the Warriors mishandled his injury and were at fault for his Achilles damage that took him out the game. “Hell, no. How can you blame the Warriors]? Hell, no,” Durant said. “I heard the Warriors pressured me into getting back. Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back.”
He mentioned that leading up to Game 5, he was in his zone, feeling good, and ready to play. “It was only me and director sports medicine and performance] Rick Celebrini] working out every day,” Durant mentioned. “Right when the series started, I targeted Game 5. Hell, nah. It just happened. It’s basketball. S— happens. Nobody was responsible for it. It was just the game. We just need to move on from that s— because I’m going to be back playing.”