Durant injury opens door for Russ
— -- OKLAHOMA CITY -- The buzzer had sounded in Game 5, and for the first time in their brief Oklahoma City history, the Oklahoma City Thunder had won a playoff series, advancing past the Denver Nuggets in 2011.
Kevin Durant, who had dropped 41 points, including 14 in the final five minutes, stalked along the baseline, right in front of where owners Clay Bennett and Aubrey McLendon sat. With his teammates hanging on his shoulders, Durant popped his jersey and bellowed, "This is my motherf---ing team!"
Without question Thunder have been Durant's, despite plenty of conspiracy and assumption that Russell Westbrook has been not-so-subtly attempting a coup. All of that noise has always been unfounded and unfair as Westbrook is simply an overwhelming, enigmatic talent that sometimes bursts at the seams. Still, Durant is the face of the franchise, the alpha dog, the top man. Westbrook isn't necessarily the Robin to his Batman, but in terms of defining metaphoric ownership, the Thunder are no doubt Durant's.
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