SAN FRANCISCO — Rebound, Durant. Outlet pass to Curry. Pull up.
Clank.
OK, so it wasn’t quite the Team USA reunion we were promised. LeBron James watched in street clothes. But Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, winners of two NBA championships and Olympic gold together, proved to be a winning combo once again Sunday night at the NBA All-Star Game.
Leading Shaquille O’Neal’s OGs over Candace Parker’s Rising Stars in the inaugural four-team format, it was just like old times. Almost.
Durant grabbed four rebounds and assisted on three buckets but was mostly a nonfactor in the scoring column, finishing the night’s two games with a combined four points on 3-of-9 shooting — none in the final — while ceding MVP honors to the hometown hero, unlike during their 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals runs.
Curry couldn’t connect on the long feed from Durant but finished with 16 points while attempting more shots than anyone else, including one from the halfcourt line that swished through the net.
“It was dope, man. The whole weekend was cool,” Durant said afterward. “It’s always good to reunite with some of my former teammates, James (Harden), Kyrie (Irving), Steph. It was good to be on the floor with them. And it was cool Steph got the MVP back here at home.”
More than just a one-off reunion seemed to be in the cards as recently as a month ago, when the NBA trade deadline was heating up and the Warriors reportedly expressed interest in acquiring their former star from the Phoenix Suns. Other rumors speculated potentially adding James to the mix, too.
The teams weren’t able to work out a deal, however, and the Warriors moved on to create a new one-two duo, pairing Curry with Jimmy Butler.
According to reports, it was Durant who nixed the deal, wary about a second go-around with Golden State. But asked Sunday night whether he was ever approached about the possibility of rejoining the Warriors, Durant offered a single word in response.
“Nah,” he said.
Only weeks later, the trio of old-guard stars were teaming up inside Chase Center after all.
“It’s just so easy to play with Steph,” Durant said. “He doesn’t demand the ball. He doesn’t have a demanding personality. He just plays within the flow of the game. And those are the types of players that are easy to play with.”
Durant could only watch with the same amazement as the rest of the arena as Curry provided the flourish only he could, casually dribbling the ball up the court only to suddenly pull up from the halfcourt line and sink one of his six 3-pointers on the night.
He was asked if he ever gets tired seeing those types of shots from Curry.
“Do you?” he responded.
Besides Curry — and the other guy who sank a halfcourt heave, a young fan who walked away with $100,000 — among the warmest receptions of the evening were reserved for Durant, whom owner Joe Lacob has said will have a statue erected in his honor outside the arena one day.
While Durant made time to chat with Lacob on the sideline before tipoff, he heard the crowd’s reaction, too.
“I always feel the love from the fans in the Bay Area,” Durant said. “I never thought for a second that I ain’t get no love out here. I heard people saying that I might not have felt that love or that I didn’t know it was this much love. But everywhere I go, all over the world, the country, there’s Warriors fans, and they show me love.
“So of course I heard it. Especially Oracle, this is my home. You know what I’m saying? A lot of great memories here in the Bay Area. So we have a tight relationship, the fans and myself.”