OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Now that Kevin Durant is back, the Thunder have returned to a familiar place.
Oklahoma City beat San Antonio in six games to advance to the Western Conference finals for the fourth time in six years – and the fourth time in the past five seasons that Durant has been healthy.
San Antonio was expected to advance, especially after going 40-1 at home during the regular season to claim the No. 2 seed in the West. But the third-seeded Thunder won twice in San Antonio during the series, boosting their confidence heading into Game 1 against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors on Monday night in Oakland.
Durant is still chasing his first NBA title, so he was able to put the Spurs series in its proper perspective.
“This wasn’t our championship,” Durant said after Thursday night’s clincher. “We were confident coming in here. We’re just happy that we’re moving forward and have an opportunity to play again, and we’re excited about it.”