OAKLAND — The first version of Warriors-Pacers in Indianapolis a few weeks ago was a dud. Golden State stomped a wounded Indy team by 37 points. The Pacers were without Myles Turner, C.J. Miles and Paul George.
But all three are expected to play in the rematch tonight in Oakland, providing more intrigue. In particular, the Paul George vs Kevin Durant superstar small forward matchup is headline worthy and something Durant said he looks forward to every season.
“He’s my favorite player in the league,” Durant said of George at shootaround on Monday. “I’ve been saying that for awhile. Just so smooth, man. He can do it all: pass, rebound, defend, post up, shoot the ball. He’s my favorite player.”
Because Durant and George have always been in opposite conferences, plus some recent injury issues for both, the two versatile forward have only faced off eight times in their careers. Durant is 5-3 against George, averaging 33 points on 53 percent shooting compared to George’s 20 points on 40 percent shooting.
Early in the season a few years back, George was just bursting onto the scene. He was gaining a ton of hype going into a Pacers-Thunder matchup. Durant had been asked a ton about George in the lead-up to the game. Then Durant came out and dropped 44 points in a blowout of the Pacers.
As he exited the game late in the fourth quarter, Durant walked by the scorer’s table and told the nearby press: “Write about that.”
But George has had his big nights against Durant’s teams, including a 45-point outburst last season.
“It makes the competition even better,” Durant said. “I got nothing but respect for Paul. It’s a mutual respect.”
The two also have similar personalities — laid-back and “low-maintenance,” as Durant called it. They’ve “clicked” off the court while playing together with Team USA.
“It’s been really quiet (trash-talk wise when we play),” Durant said. “You can feel the energy, you can feel we both want to win at a high level. But after the game, it’s all love. That’s the competition you’ve started to see more of over the last 10 years. Guys have become friends off the court in U.S. basketball, dating all the way back to AAU basketball.”
“We want the same things on the basketball court,” Durant said. “He’s low-maintenance. He’s a superstar, but he’s a low-maintenance guy. Doesn’t need much. Same type of attitude that I bring. Loves the game. Loves to work. So we kind of clicked.”
Kevin Durant explains why Paul George is "my favorite player in the league" (playing vs him tonight) pic.twitter.com/huJPOVKKyP
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 5, 2016
