BOSTON — Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant had some very nice things to say Wednesday morning about Boston and the Celtics, creating some buzz among C’s fans hoping to see the impending free agent in green next season.
“I like the city a lot,” Durant told reporters hours before the Thunder’s game against the Celtics at TD Garden, via MassLive.com’s Jay King. “It’s cold, but they love sports here. It’s a family atmosphere I feel when I walk around the city. So yeah, I like it a lot.”
The Celtics are expected to be among the many teams pursuing Durant this summer, but Thunder coach Billy Donovan didn’t view the former NBA MVP’s comments as anything more than a nice guy being a nice guy.
“I think Kevin has always been respectful,” Donovan said during his pregame news conference. “He’s a great guy. I don’t think Kevin would ever say anything derogatory about another team or player or things like that. That’s just not who he is. And I think when he gets put into those situations, he’s only going to say positive things because that’s who he is.”
Donovan, who’s in his first season as an NBA coach after nearly two decades at the University of Florida, further lauded Durant’s character when asked what it’s like to coach a player of his caliber.
“I look at it a little bit differently, maybe, than most because of the kind of guy he is,” Donovan said. “He’s obviously an incredible talent with incredible ability, but the one thing that becomes crystal clear when you’re around him — and I really wish a lot of younger players could see him because of his work ethic. He’s in the gym all the time early, and I’ve said this before: I’ve never seen him go on the floor in a shootaround or a practice or a warmup and not take a game-speed shot. Everything’s at a very, very high-intensity level, and he’s very, very focused. He’s very, very driven, and there’s a reason why he’s been so successful.
“And I think beyond that part of it — the basketball part of it — he’s a great guy. He’s a really good person to the core. He’s very, very caring. I think he’s unselfish. So I’ve enjoyed that part of it.”
Durant has spent his entire career with the Thunder, dating to when the franchise was known as the Seattle SuperSonics. He entered Wednesday ranked third in the NBA in scoring with 28.0 points per game.
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
