There was once a time Oklahoma City basketball fans would have been happy with trading in the city’s newly dubbed Thunder for the more familiar New Orleans Hornets, a team the city hosted for a few years while Louisiana recovered from Hurricane Katrina.
Everyone in the city loved the Hornets’ Chris Paul then. Now? Maybe not so much. During a March 9 game with the Los Angeles Clippers (Paul’s present-day team), the point guard dealt Kevin Durant, with whom the 405 has struck a new love affair, a truly low blow. Durant was playing tight defense on Paul in the last minute of the second quarter when the Clipper delivered a sharp blow to Durant’s groin, momentarily stunning the defender and freeing Paul up to sink a 20-foot jump shot.
How’s that for a man crush?
This is far from the first time Paul has been accused of bush-league play. Years ago, OKC fans turned a blind eye to the potential faults of their first NBA superstar. This makes current stars like fashionable Russell Westbrook and modest Durant — recently caught shimmying to Rihanna’s “Work” during pregame warmups — all the more delightful.
This might not end up being the Thunder’s season, but the possibility of their leaving in the near future is too much to bear. So please excuse us if we come off as the clingy partner.
Print headline: New love
