Larry Brown Sports

More often than not, taunting an opponent on Twitter is something that will make a player look bad. If you are a D-League player taunting an NBA team and one of the best players in the game, you are always going to look bad.

Royce White gave us a perfect example of that earlier this week when he sent a tweet at Kevin Durant about how the Oklahoma City Thunder are starting to look “shaky” against the Houston Rockets. The irony of the whole situation is that White suffers from an anxiety disorder that has put his NBA career in doubt. However, Durant claims he isn’t all that familiar with him.

“Who is that?” Durant said Friday when asked about White’s comments, via Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. “Who is that? I haven’t seen him on the bench. I haven’t seen him on the bench. So, I mean, I’m not worried about guys that’s not even in our series. Ain’t that the guy that’s afraid to fly? Well I wish him the best, man, and if I see him next year I’ll let him know who we are.”

Game, set, match. There was really no winning for White in this situation. Boston Celtics guard Jordan Crawford got called out by Carmelo Anthony’s wife after he talked trash because he’s a benchwarmer. White isn’t even on the Rockets’ NBA roster, so he’s a step below that. The former Iowa State star was simply looking for attention and he got it. If he wants to look like an idiot to earn a share of the spotlight, that’s his prerogative.

H/T Pro Basketball Talk

Royce White is among the Houston Rockets fans feeling confident following the team’s stunning 107-100 win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night that extended the playoff series to a sixth game.

White, who was a first-round pick of the Rockets last year and played for the team’s D-League affiliate this season, sent tweets to the Thunder and Kevin Durant after the game.

And… that’s why you play the games. That @okcthunder team just looked shook. “They’re looking shaky baby.”#RedNation

— Royce White (@Highway_30) May 2, 2013

@kdtrey5… Y’all are looking SHAAAKYY BAAABYY. #RedNation

— Royce White (@Highway_30) May 2, 2013

How ironic is it to see White of all people taunting an opponent for looking “shaky”? White suffers from an anxiety disorder that keeps him from flying in airplanes and threatened to hinder his NBA career. He demands the most fragile working conditions imaginable and complains when he doesn’t receive them. He pleads for empathy and understanding. And he’s telling a team that finished first in the Western Conference that they’re looking shaky?

Not only was this the wrong person to come from, but he’s also making matters more difficult on his team; he’s not even playing, yet he’s motivating the opponents. Smooth move, Royce.

Chest bump to The Point Forward

An incredibly lucky roll was the difference between the Houston Rockets being in their series with the Oklahoma City Thunder instead of on the verge of elimination.

Houston came back from a 26-point deficit in the second quarter of Game 3 to take the lead in the fourth. They were up 99-97 in the final minute before Kevin Durant made a 3-pointer that hit nearly every part of the rim. The ball dropping through was probably the difference in the game. James Harden turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, and Derek Fisher made both his free throws after getting fouled. Harden made a layup on the next possession, but Reggie Jackson made his free throws to seal the 104-101 win for the Thunder.

Durant finished with 41 points and said after the game that the Lord helped that ball go in. Whatever force was at work certainly helped the Thunder. They’re up 3-0 in the series and can close things out in Game 4 on Monday night. It’s amazing how such small things can mean the difference between winning and losing in the playoffs.

Kevin Durant was feeling it in Houston during Game 3 of the playoffs between the Rockets and Thunder. Durant went off for 27 points in the first half and played like he was trying to prove a point in the team’s first game since Russell Westbrook got hurt. He was feeling so pumped up he even yelled out, “This is my city!” after taking a charge early in the second quarter.

Should anyone remind him he was in Houston and not Oklahoma City? Durant is from Washington DC, not Houston, though he did attend the University of Texas. But after his monster first half, he probably felt like he owned the entire country.

KD also threw down this jaw-dropping dunk on Omer Asik in the first quarter:

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The Miami Heat may be the overwhelming favorites to win their second straight NBA title, but Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant plans to do all he can to stop that from happening. Durant and company came in second place in the NBA last season. They were one of a number of teams that fell victim to LeBron James taking his game to another level.

Second place may be acceptable for some, but Durant has grown tired of it.

“I’ve been second my whole life,” he told Sports Illustrated in an interview for the magazine’s April 29 edition. “I was the second-best player in high school. I was the second pick in the draft. I’ve been second in the MVP voting three times. I came in second in the Finals. I’m tired of being second. I’m not going to settle for that. I’m done with it.”

Don’t even think about telling Durant he is only 24 years old and has a ton of basketball left ahead of him. He doesn’t want to hear it. Finishing as the runner-up on so many occasions has clearly taken its toll (though he did not seem too concerned about the scoring title this season), but my guess is no second-place finish on the aforementioned list bothers him more than coming up short in the NBA Finals.

As for whether or not he goes easy on LeBron because of their friendship, that’s just absurd.

“I’m not taking it easy on [James],” Durant insisted. “Don’t you know I’m trying to destroy the guy every time I go on the court?”

Most of us would be shocked if Durant didn’t win an NBA championship during his career. It may not come this season, but he won’t fall short because of a lack of effort. You think it’s a coincidence that his grandmother had to send him this message regarding cussing during games? KD wants it, and he wants it right now.

H/T Eye on Basketball
Photo Credit: Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Carmelo Anthony has officially wrapped up the 2012-2013 NBA scoring title, as Kevin Durant has announced he will not be suiting up for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. KD made the announcement with a message on his Instagram account Wednesday morning.

The end of the NBA season can be boring for most teams who already have their playoff spot cemented, so it’s no surprise the Thunder have decided to rest Durant for the playoffs. With only one game remaining, Oklahoma City has clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Risking an injury to their best player for the sake of personal accolades would not be a wise decision.

Oh yeah, and there’s one thing Durant did not mention in his brief Instagram announcement. He would have had to score 70 points against the Bucks to surpass Anthony, who has been on fire since he returned from injury last month. While the Thunder could have constantly fed Durant the ball and let him chase the scoring title since the outcome of the game doesn’t matter, very few coaches would allow their team to do that. Durant said over a week ago that Anthony could have the scoring title. I guess he meant it.

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder are in the San Francisco area this week as they set to take on the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. On Wednesday, Durant decided to drop by and hang out with Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants.

So what’s the big takeaway from this photo? If you thought Lincecum looked like a little kid now that he is sporting a new haircut and ditched his long locks, you must love seeing him with his boys regular haircut next to KD. I know I do.

Photo via Instagram/Kevin Durant