After Kevin Durant provoked the Grizzlies, his social media blew up yet again.
Ever since he joined the Warriors last summer, Durant, once the youngest scoring champion in history, had undergone a drastic image change.
Back when he was with the Thunder, people thought he was a quiet, good-natured kid who focused only on basketball.
But after joining the Warriors, it was as though Durant had broken free from a seal and started showing his true self.
He was no longer quiet. Whether on social media or on the court, Durant had plenty to say.
He was no longer the mild-mannered gentleman either. Right after leaving the Thunder, he tweeted insults at his former teammates, got into online shouting matches with Westbrook, and even used burner accounts to trade insults with fans.
All of this had drastically changed Durant's image in the eyes of fans.
Now, people finally understood why Link and Durant got along so poorly. Link was no saint himself, but compared to Durant, he was at least more straightforward and genuine.
After Durant's transformation with the Warriors, fans were no longer surprised whenever he spoke out of line on social media again.
After all, this was hardly the first time Durant had done something like this.
What fans felt now was anticipation. They all wanted to know whether the current Grizzlies truly had what it took to contend with last season's defending champions—and how the Grizzlies players would respond to Durant's trash talk.
Although the Grizzlies and Warriors would not officially face off until December 5, the Grizzlies first had a matchup against the Pelicans in between.
But major games like this often began building hype several days in advance.
Starting on December 2, ESPN continuously aired promotional clips for the game during commercial breaks.
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