Kevin Durant Clears Stance on Heated Altercations as Grizzlies Rookie Pivots From Revealing Sensitive Details

Kevin Durant has had a long road of battle with the Memphis Grizzlies. From the time of Tony Allen and Zach Randolph’s team, the Slim Reaper has learned one thing from those contests. If you go to Memphis, you better fight for everything. Years later, that culture hasn’t changed in Memphis. Even without Jaren Jackson Jr., their resilience prevailed against Durant and the Suns. And the game’s hero wasn’t only Ja Morant.

The high flyer led from a performance aspect, compiling 29 points and 12 assists. However, the fearless presence that showcased the Grizzlies’ grit was Cam Spencer. He’s rarely part of the rotations. But with an opportunity tonight, he didn’t bend down against a giant. Spencer hit a huge three and exchanged words with Kevin Durant with he could describe as “not good for TV”.

The night was marred by physicality and tension. But although on the losing side, that’s something Durant admits to admiring about the Grizzlies’ culture.

“I mean they got a lot of underdogs. Guys that have grinded their way up, kind of overachieved and made the league making rotations. So they play with a chip on their shoulder and I respect that. That’s how Cam Spencer got on the court when he was coming up… Just being aggressive and showing that they care. So when you come to Memphis you got to match their energy if you want to stay in the game and that’s a type of image I love to display for the game,” Kevin Durant admitted after the loss.

The 2014 relishes such interactions too. We have seen it before when Anthony Edwards engaged in some trash-talking with him last season. And tonight, Durant fed off the energy. He scored 35 points, hitting a season-high seven threes in the 2-point loss. However, it wasn’t enough to win the game.

And aside from the sorrow of losing, he only carried one regret.

Kevin Durant crucified himself for one miss

The Phoenix Suns began the game with a blistering performance on the road. Their lead went up to as much as 16 in the first quarter. However, the Grizzlies’ defiance proved to be stronger. In a game defined by fine margins, they were the clinical side. They slowly chipped away at the lead.

Towards the end, Spencer with all the attention and back-and-forth knocked down two clutch free throws to give the Grizzlies the lead. And in the climax, the Suns had the chance to win it at the buzzer. The ball knowingly ended up in the hands of Kevin Durant. He hit the usual hesi and threw up a three that looked good.

However, it hit back iron, ending in another close loss for the Suns. All KD could think afterward was “I got to make that shot,”. It was only his second miss from downtown on the night. But for Phoenix, they did the things needed to retake the lead in the final period.

They forced the Grizzlies into seven turnovers and took eight more shot attempts than them. However, they couldn’t capitalize on those chances.  In such cut-throat games, the easiest way of scoring can be the difference between winning and losing. Ultimately, their six missed free throws cost them dearly.

The loss derailed the Suns’ pursuit of the 10th seed. They now sit three wins behind the injury-riddled Dallas Mavericks albeit with a game in hand. However, from here on out, the room for mistakes practically doesn’t exist. In order to make the postseason, the Suns need to hold their composure and generate wins from positions where they take the lead.

In what could be Kevin Durant’s last season in the Dessert, it would be a shame to see one of the great postseason performers not even get a chance to be on the biggest stage.