Despite Virtuoso Game 4, Kevin Durant’s Future Lies in Russell Westbrook’s Hands

OKLAHOMA CITY — The whipping wind, as it so often does, blew through Oklahoma City on Sunday. Tornado watches in effect; large hail reported, too.

This felt different than the usual threat, though.

Anxiety rolled through in a way the weathermen couldn’t convey with all their local storm updates.

It was cloudy with a chance of Kevin Durant playing his final home game in OKC.

Well aware were the locals how swiftly all their Thunder fun, even if it hasn’t reached championship consummation, could be blown away when Durant makes his free-agent decision this summer.

Short of that actual absence, nothing could make their hearts grow fonder for Durant, which is why he wound up saying late Sunday night, unprompted, how impressed he was by the crowd helping him rally the Thunder for a series-tying Game 4 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, 111-97.

“Probably the loudest I’ve ever heard ‘em,” Durant said.

Quirky teammate Steven Adams seconded that in his unique way, explaining, “Almost fainted, bro. It was so loud.”

The threat of losing Games 4 and 5, this second-round series and possibly Durant made Sunday a most pressure-packed night for the home team.

It contributed to the Thunder’s tight play much of the game, but it also set the stage for something special to emerge after the Spurs went up by six points early in the fourth quarter:

“Competitive character” is what Thunder coach Billy Donovan calls it.

And above all else, that is what Durant can trust co-star Russell Westbrook possesses, and certainly vice versa.

This OKC team does not have the perfect personnel or chemistry—and certainly not ideal playoff experience in its role players. It is an unbalanced crew compared to other top-heavy NBA rosters we’ve seen, even if Thunder general manager Sam Presti’s risky bets on Enes Kanter and Dion Waiters were big winners Sunday night.

Durant isn’t consciously judging his young teammates—or the first-year head coach at whom he glanced not once, but twice, in one sequence in search of support against the refs as he struggled—through his free-agency lens now. But all those around him and even the fans will be scrutinized soon, rest assured.

Ultimately, though, Durant’s toughest decision will be whether to give up what he shares with Westbrook.

For whatever OKC hasn’t provided Durant, he has become able to depend on this brotherhood of competitive character. That’s what has made this a contending team and let this healthy partnership last far longer than most co-stars can …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com