Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant played together for only 81 seconds in the All-Star Game, just one very early stint.
It was enough for a signature highlight.
A give-and-go — Westbrook to Durant, back to Westbrook for a dunk, a rekindling their Oklahoma City magic for a moment — was one of the most talked about moments of Sunday’s showcase in New Orleans.
Photo: Derick E. Hingle-USA Today
The Western Conference bench broke into celebration, though Westbrook tried to downplay it all afterward.
“Yeah, he threw a lob,” Westbrook said. “That’s all that happened. Just threw a lob. It’s basketball. That’s it.”
That was not it, of course.
The Durant-Westbrook story line was huge going into the All-Star Game, which the West won 192-182.
The tale is well known: Durant left Oklahoma City for Golden State last summer and the relationship between the former Thunder teammates has either been frosty or nonexistent since, depending on which perspective one wants to believe.
Golden State are 3-0 against Oklahoma City this season, so it is not like Durant and Westbrook have not been around each other, but Sunday marked the first time they shared an in-game huddle since last spring, when the Thunder’s season — and the Durant era — ended with a loss to Golden State in the Western Conference finals.
“It was a great basketball play,” Durant said. “He was open, so I threw him the lob. He can jump really high, so yeah, good play.”
At the time, no one knew it would be overshadowed later by Anthony Davis, who set an All-Star record with 52 points to get the Most Valuable Player award — and then again when word came through that Sacramento are sending All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and