The OKC Thunder-Reggie Jackson feud grew Thursday, as Kevin Durant criticized the Pistons guard for his post-game celebration after Detroit beat Oklahoma City on Tuesday.
Jackson was feeling pretty good after beating his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on Tuesday, and he acted like it, dancing around the court waving at the crowd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx5-nLfObGs
This did not please Jackson’s former teammates. After the game, Russell Westbrook called the celebration “some real bulls—.”
Russell Westbrook was asked about Reggie Jackson’s celebration and his answer was NSFW (via @anthonyVslater)https://t.co/gx4LOA0iRw
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 30, 2016
Then, on Thursday, Kevin Durant weighed in, and he was no happier about Jackson’s post-game actions. Here’s what the former MVP had to say, via ESPN:
“It was bush league, in my opinion,” Durant said Thursday following the team’s shootaround. “Jumping up and down, running around. I understand you’re happy you won the game, but our whole team didn’t play. We would’ve beat the hell out of them if it did.”
Durant, along with Serge Ibaka, didn’t play against the Pistons because of planned rest, so he was unavailable to reporters after the game Tuesday.
“I wanted to play against Detroit, for sure, but you know, it’s Detroit,” Durant said. “Who cares about Detroit?”
So it’s pretty clear Westbrook and Durant have no legs to stand on here. Many players celebrate after a big win, and the Thunder’s stars themselves are not allergic to flaunting after a win. They must understand that because the Thunder are one of the league’s best teams, lesser opponents are going to be pumped to beat them. And sure the Thunder would’ve probably beaten the Pistons with Durant and Ibaka, but that’s not what happened. Jackson’s team won, and he’s welcome to be happy about it.
What’s really going on is a weird, somewhat-unexplained beef between Jackson and his former teammates. Jackson was traded to Detroit last season after complaints playing time and insinuations he wasn’t happy in Oklahoma City. Via ESPN, here’s how Westbrook and Durant have described their acrimony toward Jackson:
Asked if Jackson’s rough departure was the main reason for the animosity, Westbrook said, “It doesn’t matter, man. Honestly, he wasn’t changing nothing for us. Obviously, he didn’t want to be here. He’s at a better spot. He’s not doing too much of a difference, if you ask me. So, he [is] going to stay over here in Detroit, we’re going to stay over here, and we’ll see him next season.”
In the first meeting this season between the Thunder and Pistons, Durant and Westbrook took veiled shots at Jackson. Westbrook replied, “Who?” when asked about his former teammate despite very clearly hearing the question, and Durant made it a point to list the Pistons’ best players while leaving Jackson out.
When Jackson was traded last season, Durant said, “We felt like everybody wanted to be here except for one guy.”
There’s only one thing stopped this from being a real A-plus NBA feud: the Thunder will probably be heading deep into the playoffs this season while the Pistons get swept in the first round. As Durant said Thursday, no one really cares about Detroit.
[ESPN]
