Thursday, April 15th, 2010 at 9:00 am  |  99 responses

Kevin Durant Feels Disrespected By Phil Jackson

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Oh boy.

Look what you’ve gone ahead and started now, Zen Master.

Just before the Thunder’s final regular season game last night, Kevin Durant was asked about Phil Jackson’s comments earlier in the week about the young star’s treatment from the refs. KD did not back down.

From the Oklahoman:

“Ever since KG said something, everybody’s been questioning how I get to the line,” Durant said. “If you watch our games, you wouldn’t question it. The NBA should put us on national T.V. more, I guess.” When asked whether Jackson’s comment fired him up more, Durant, “Yeah, it does.”

“Because it’s taking away from what I do,” Durant said. “That’s a part of my game, getting to the free throw line and being aggressive. If you say that I get superstar calls or I get babied by the refs, that’s just taking away from how I play. That’s disrespectful to me. I don’t disrespect nobody in this league. I respect every coach, every player, everybody. I never say anything bad about anybody else or question why they do this or do that. So for them to say that about me, I don’t even want to use no foul language.”

Durant said he doesn’t think Jackson’s comments will have any influence on how the officials call the series. “If the refs pay attention to that and change how they call things because of that, that’s terrible,” Durant said. “That’s terrible to the game of basketball and to us. If that happens, then (coach) Scotty (Brooks) could talk, too. Or any other coach could talk to just so the refs could switch everything up. But I doubt they do that. They’re smarter than that and they have more skills than that as refs. So I don’t really worry about it too much.”

Even before the posturing began from both sides, the Thunder/Lakers series was already one of the most highly anticipated first round matchups in this year’s Playoffs. Now, things have been taken to an entirely new level. Thanks, Phil and Kevin!

The fun begins in Los Angeles this Sunday, at 3:00pm Eastern.

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  • Sergio

    Phil already made Durant change his mindset. KD is already thinking about Phil’s comments. His mind is already out of it. Phil is a genius.

  • kev

    lets go OKC!!!!!!

  • thenatural

    P. Jack is just using those Jedi mind tricks to get in his head… I don’t recall him complaining when Mike was shooting 20+ free throws a game…

  • chingy

    This is like young MJ up against the Celtics when MJ almost single handedly take down Bird and the Celts in 86(?). It’s going to be “God disguised as” KD when he blows up for 63 in double OT.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    La Huey
    Granted I would prefer if homie spoke in what is considered proper English, but I think it’s funny that sportswriters quote athletes exactly, while political writers clean up quotes for politicans all the time.
    I mean, which thoughts are more important for the public to hear unvarnished?

  • underdog

    First of all, there’s no such thing as superstar calls. Just ask DWade, or LeBron… But, if there was such a thing, why wouldn’t Durant get it? I mean he actually is a NBA superstar. So do the math Phil…

  • rob

    what Sergio said

  • LA Huey

    @Allenp, I’m just teasing. I know most of us (including myself) commit grammar felonies in our speech at least several times a day.

  • Fat Lever

    You guys are seriously caught up in his grammar? Really? He’s paid to play bball, not sound proper enough for your standards.

  • doyouwantmore

    You woke up the baby!

  • vtrobot

    how did phil win anything? if the refs don’t call a blatant foul on KD at the end of one of these games, phil has won. i think, if it has any impact on KD at all, it will probably make him play better, with a chip on his shoulder. we’ll soon see, but i would suspect that pissing off KD probably has the same outcome as pissing off Kobe or ‘Bron. lakeshow, please lose.

  • Stillballin

    Let’s go baby!! It’s gonna be a he’ll of a series.. Kevin is gonna have to score 50 a game to pull an upset..

  • http://dsfjklf.com Jukai

    Man, I made a comment saying I’d grow to hate KD with all the ludicrous love he gets, but I find it really, really hard to hate this guy. Yeah, he’s takin’ the criticism hard, but I love his little line at the refs– anyone else think that’s a little mind game of his own?

  • http://dsfjklf.com Jukai

    Oh, and Lakers win in six, but Durant thoroughly outplays Kobe in the series. You heard it here.

  • Elias

    LOL Jackson coached MJ and now he’s coaching Kobe, he shouldn’t whine about someone else’s guys getting superstar treatment.
    Bottom of the line: NBA refs are biased, KD is a really classy guy and he’s getting calls his way, you won’t(didn’t) see that happening with guys like AI and Sheed.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    I love all the Laker fans excussing Jackson being a douche by labeling it ‘mind games’. Stay classy, LA

  • RedRum

    I predict that in future the Lakers-OKC playoff will be in the mold of the Pistons-Bulls rivalry. Guess who is Isiah and who is MJ..

  • boogster

    hm, guys, when MJ scored 63, Phil Jax wasn`t a happy camper, he said his best player shouldn`t do some scoring outburst like that, because one man show gets you nowhere!
    To those guys who wants Durant to score 50+, you are not supporting KD,… maybe you weren`t supporting him at all!

  • chingy

    Phil Jax wasn’t coaching MJ when he scored 63….

  • http://djsfklrf.com Jukai

    ^^^ Busted

  • http://freewebs.com/sinhabla Gus

    Boogsted!

  • Rusty

    artest cant stick it with the durantula, hes to slow

  • vmcb

    LA Huey, double negatives were used by Shakespeare to form an affirmative. KD was merely channeling the Bard. D’uh.

  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com DP

    Yes LA fans will stay classy while the lakers beats these boys in a good 7 game series. Yeah I said 7 games and I’m a laker fan. I’m being realistic here and the way it is looking, I wouldn’t be suprised if LA is gone by the second round. They are playing HORRIBLE. I stopped watching there games two weeks ago and I said I would not watch again until the playoffs because they must be just messin around to stink this much at the end of the year.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    LET’S GO OKC THUNDER!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://www.realcavsfans.com Anton

    How is Phil even zen? Openly b!tching about an upcoming series before it even starts? Sounds like Stan Van Gundy to me. What a f*cktard.

  • http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

    Kevin Durant is getting in that @ss, Lakers. Come Sunday, watch out.

  • http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

    Ahahahahaha Old Man Fish guarding Russell Brook? I can’t wait!

  • Roc

    Kevin Durant is quite simply the best scorer in the league. Higher Free-throw percentage than LeBron. Higher 3 pt. FG%. More PPG.

  • Largo

    PG County stand up!

  • Hersey

    I agree with the other commenters. Durant has been sucked into Phil’s mind games. Anyone who does watch Durant play knows he gets a ton of whistles. In the playoffs, coaches are constantly looking for an edge and the whistle negates it. Jackson knows what he’s doing and the league’s leading scorer is under a microscope.

  • Jon

    glad most people here are making smart comments. laker are scum.

  • The Philosopher

    Phil Jackson is the greatest coach in NBA history. Now that being said, he knows what a few of us on these threads know: The Lakers are in trouble. Period.

  • http://www.kwapt.blogspot.com KobeWearsAPurpleThong

    Although the Fakers’ frountcourt will probably give them the edge, I would love NOTHING more than to see OKC bounce them out. You’ve be warned L-once this franchise gets a legit big-man, it’s all over.

  • http://www.kwapt.blogspot.com KobeWearsAPurpleThong

    *been

  • Michael Scorn

    @Roc- you are wrong. If he really wanted to, LeBron could have lead the league in field goal percentage and free throw percentage and scoring.

  • T-Money

    Never leat em see you sweat…

  • http://slamonline.com CB 34

    Lakers will win and Durant should just shut up and not fall into phil’s trap. Phil does this every year and he’s acting like it never happened before. I like Green and westbrook. Lamar should play more, i think he can contain KD.

  • JD

    Thank you KG for encouraged the Kid, now KD can go destroy and upset the Lakers, please KD please

  • http://joeloholic.wordpress.com Joel O’s

    @Jukai: Sharp observation. That line was definitely a counter to Phil’s statement, aimed at the refs. Smart comment by KD to win them back, and he did it while taking the high road, too.

  • Pingback: SLAM ONLINE | » Lakers/Thunder Series Preview

  • http://nimbus96@hotmail.com jdizzle

    seems to me that PHIL forgets that he had the guy that the argument about babying calls became so famous for. in case you are under 10yrs old or have been under a rock for the last 30 yrs 1 Michael Jordan got more superstar babying calls than any player in history. and Phil if u have a problem with players getting these type calls RETURN 6 of yout championship rings and we’ll call it even.

  • Ludawg

    KD is a rare kid that plays at an intense level. He is gifted no doubt, but to think Jackson is personally attacking you is foolish. The man is a legend and a mastermind. He will use anything to fire his troops up. Never challenge a legend unless you want to be taught a lesson…Lakers will take the series, but i applaud the Thunder for making the playoffs…

  • Ludawg

    The Lakers have one thing that only a few teams in the league have…More than one superstar. You shut down KD and the thunder will fall…Phil knows it and started the attack for Lamar to finish it…

  • bassplyr98

    Jackson has been doing this since Bulls/Knicks, Bulls/Pistons…Its typical posturing for him before a series. It seems in this case, that he is going the other way though, rather than saying the other guys play like thugs, he is saying the other guy gets special treatment. Kind of a turn around from Pat Riley responding to him by saying Jordan and Pippen got the star treatment from the whistle.

  • http://blomsteve@yahoo.com Steve Blom

    Phil’s all about mind games; he’s been doin that for years. He is actually respecting Kevin, not disrespecting him. The reason I say that is because Phil knows what a great young player Kevin is. It’s an attempt to throw him off of his game. Believe me when I say that Phil Jackson knows the potential of Kevin Durant, and it’s an attempt to throw him off. The Laker-thunder series is gonna be a great one to watch!

  • Pingback: SLAM ONLINE | » Durant Doesn’t Have A Neophyte’s Nerves

  • chintao

    Phuck Fil.

  • Pingback: SLAM ONLINE | » NBA Fines Phil Jackson $35,000

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