A lot has changed since Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder were last in the NBA playoffs.
The 2013-14 NBA MVP and his teammates played like they had something to prove in Saturday's playoff opener against the Dallas Mavericks, coming away with a 108-70 win.
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Durant played like a man with something to prove, putting up 23 points, five rebounds and five assists during his playoff return. Russell Westbrook came to play as well, with a game-high 24 points and 11 assists.
Durant seems to feel that he's being overlooked when it comes to the elite players in the game today, much like the Thunder's contender status in doubt after missing the playoffs in 2015.KD: 7 points in 5 minutes. Russ 3 assists. Thunder leads Mavs 15-4 midway through Q1. pic.twitter.com/yrN43jZxG6
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 17, 2016
"I feel like I'm one of the top five players in the league, and I should be on the All-NBA First team or I should be in the MVP conversation," Durant told ESPN prior to the playoffs. "That's not saying it in an arrogant way at all."
It seems odd that a four-time scoring champ who averaged 28.2 and shot 50.5 percent from the field would have to state his case for being one of the top players in the league. But Durant knows that to keep pace with Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard, he and his team will need to pull off some playoff magic.
Based on Saturday's performance, Durant and the Thunder are off to a good start.
The Golden State Warriors also got off to a good start with a rout of the Houston Rockets, but MVP guard Stephen Curry suffered an ankle injury and is questionable for Game 2 of the opening-round series.
Tweet of the Night
The Warriors let everyone know that they still have plenty in the tank after winning those 73 regular-season games. The Rockets are witnesses after the 104-78 beatdown they caught from the defending champs.
Highlights and postgame interviews from a wire-to-wire win.https://t.co/pVp8jbbYh6
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) April 17, 2016
Stud of the Night
Al Horford was big for the Atlanta Hawks in their opening game against the Boston Celtics. Horford scored 24 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked two shots as the Hawks blew a big lead, but held on for a 102-101 victory.
Dud of the Night
The Toronto Raptors backcourt just did not show up on Saturday. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowery struggled shooting, going 8 for 32 from the field and turning the ball over nine times as the Indiana Pacers pulled off a 100-90 victory to open the series.
Looking Ahead:
Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers, Game 1: The Warriors and Thunder have set the bar high. Can the Cavs, the Eastern Conference's top seed, do the same against the Pistons? LeBron James has still not delivered an NBA title to a city that has not had a major sports championship since the Browns won the NFL title in 1955.