For the 2nd time in as many years, LeBron James used his 1st pick in the NBA All-Star Draft to select one of his greatest competitors: Kevin Durant. And to be quite honest, the Golden State Warrior forwards wasn't surprised one bit.
"What else is he supposed to do?" Durant told the media after Friday's 117-107 win over the budding Phoenix Suns. Durant's words were recorded about 4 minutes into an arranged meeting with the press, during which he steered clear of addressing the ongoing stress relating to his pending free agency. After lashing out at the media two days ago, Kevin Durant's composure on Friday would draw compliments from Warriors' teammate DeMarcus Cousins who credited his mental toughness with helping him cope with the cycle of "bulls--- he deals with on the daily."
"It's a tough life -- always having a camera in your face, never really having privacy -- and it's obvious how much he gets attacked just on the social media and from a fan standpoint," Cousins pointed out. "He deals with a lot, he has a lot coming at him, and he's still able to block that out and come out and produce on a nightly basis."
Kevin Durant wound up finishing the game with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists for the Warriors' 14th win in a 15th game stretch. The Golden Warriors will look to make it 15 in 16 games when they play the Miami Heat tomorrow night at 8:30 pm ET.