It’s a real shame the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Detroit Pistons don’t get to play each other more often, because the bad blood between the two teams has become very real.
Pistons’ rookie forward Stanley Johnson escalated things on Friday, claiming that Kevin Durant had “disrespected” the Pistons, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
Durant was rested in Oklahoma City’s loss to Detroit on Tuesday, and his reason why did not go over well with the Pistons.
“I wanted to play against Detroit, for sure, but you know, it’s Detroit. Who cares about Detroit?” Durant said.
Those comments rubbed Johnson the wrong way.
“If he wanted to have an impact on the game, he should have just played,” Johnson said. “No one is scared of playing against him on this side of town. Next year we have two games scheduled, and I know, for me, it’s circled on my schedule from now on.
“I don’t think we’re something to play with. I think we can be a playoff team and you gotta respect that. I think by saying that, he disrespected our whole team.”
This all started, of course, when Reggie Jackson – formerly of Oklahoma City and not exactly on great terms with the team or its players – celebrated wildly after Detroit’s win over the Thunder. Russell Westbrook was particularly vocal in his criticism, but Durant didn’t like it either, which may have led to the comment that set Johnson off.
