[ad_1]
SEATTLE (AP) – Kevin Durant got off the bus inside KeyArena's loading dock about two hours before departure and took a quick look towards the short, visible at through the tunnel.
He was back where his NBA career began more than a decade ago.
"When I woke up from my pre-game nap, I was nervous," Durant said. "I never felt that way in a match, especially a pre – season game, but knowing that everything was planned for that moment, I guess it was a crazy feeling to go out and feel as much as I could. love."
Durant was back in Seattle on Friday night with his Golden State Warriors for a pre-season game against the Sacramento Kings for the city's first NBA game since SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City after the 2007-08 season. It was an opportunity for the Seattle basketball community to get together again before KeyArena became a construction site later this fall as part of a $ 700 million renovation that should endow the city with an expanding NHL team and the hope of NBA and Sonics returning in the future.
Warriors defeated Kings 122-96. Klay Thompson scored 30 points. Durant was 26. None of this really mattered.
"It was a very special atmosphere. Very different from anything I've ever known, "said Warrior coach Steve Kerr.
For three hours, Seattle hailed the NBA once again while bidding farewell to a building in which the Sonics hung their only championship banner. The Seattle Storm won three WNBA titles and served as the epicenter of hoops in a crazy basketball town.
That night, the NBA found its place with the same energy, the same excitement and the same sound that swept the time of the Sonics, while they were part of the elite franchises of the NBA. The game is sold in a few hours and the lower bowl has been filled with fans more than an hour before the start.
Durant was in the center of attention, Jeff Jeff and Jefferson are the only players in the league to have played for the Sonics in Seattle. When he was billed as the last member of the starting training for Golden State, Durant completed his training by revealing a Shawn Kemp SuperSonics jersey of the 1996 season, the last time Seattle participated in the NBA Finals. . The crowd broke out, as if Durant needed to be more loved in the Emerald City.
"I'm not really a big fan of surprises and all that, but I thought it would be cool to honor one of the legends of the past," Durant said.
Durant also took the tipoff microphone before transmitting a message to fans that turned out.
"First of all, I want to congratulate the Seattle Storm for stopping it from winning a championship," Durant said, pointing to Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart sitting in court. "On behalf of myself, the NBA, our organization, my teammates, we want to thank you for coming to support us. I know that the last 10 years have been difficult. The NBA is back in Seattle for tonight. Let's hope he comes back forever. "
All of Durant's baskets were acclaimed and the few times he dipped, the crowd broke out as if it was again the 90s.
In the last minutes, the songs of "Super-Sonics!" Have become stronger. A decade ago, Durant was playing in the last game of the Seattle franchise, these slogans were "Save Our Sonics". Now, the slogans have served as hope for the future to see a day again the green and gold in the NBA.
"I think all NBA players now know that Seattle needs a basketball team and that it's obviously too surprising, but to continue supporting the city of Seattle, I think it's this that everyone wants to do, "Durant said.
All major representatives of Seattle basketball present were honored by Bird and Stewart, Gary Payton, Slick Watts and Jamal Crawford. Jack Sikma, Lenny Wilkens and Fred Brown won the 1979 NBA Championship trophy in a timeout. And Bill Russell sat halfway around and watched everything.
The stands were a mix of green and gold SuperSonics and blue and yellow Warriors, with the old Sonics winning colors. And although there were jerseys of Kemp and Gary Payton in green Sonics, and Stephen Curry in white Warriors, the No. 35 with "Durant" in the back seemed to be the jersey of choice par excellence.
"Kevin, he sort of represents the last season of the Sonics and hopefully a comeback, whatever it is," Kerr said during the match while wearing a vintage SuperSonics shirt.
Curry did not make the trip for personal reasons while Draymond Green sat down because of a painful knee. Durant was the star, but Thompson, who played collegiate in Washington and received some "Go Cougs", sang in the crowd.
"It did not look like a preseason game," Thompson said. "It was almost as if you could feel the energy with your hands."
Durant has released personalized green shoes with golden accents to wear during the match. More personal still was the white Nike that he wore in the building with "KD" and the old Sonics logo with the Seattle skyline in the back.
"I thought it was very appropriate to have come here to represent the entire city," Durant said.
[ad_2]
Source link
