Kevin Durant lauds NBA In-Season Tournament, says it gives him ‘different vibe’: “It's about how the consumer feels”
Count Kevin Durant as another fan of the new NBA In-Season Tournament. The Phoenix Suns star said that the new games have a different vibe.
Durant made his comments on the new tournament following the Suns' loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Durant and the Suns advanced to the knockouts of the inaugural edition of the competition, where they take on the LA Lakers in the quarterfinals. The winner will move on to the semifinals in Las Vegas.
The new tournament has garnered a ton of positive reviews. Durant is appreciative of the new product. He has seen how the new look of the game has benefitted fans and reckons the courts, jerseys and branding give the games a different vibe.
Durant offered a player’s perspective as he praised the tournament:
“We have played in bigger games. But obviously fans love seeing high intensity games in the regular season, that is why we got the tournament, to please the fans. They weren’t satisfied with the level of ball we were playing in the regular season."
The NBA superstar knows that player’s opinions are not important and that the league makes decisions with fans in mind.
“It’s not really how we feel, it’s about how the consumer feels about what they see. Hopefully they enjoy it,” Kevin Durant said.
“Whatever the consumer and the fan wants, the NBA and Adam Silver will do their best to give it to them. Us as players will continue to go about our business as we always do.”
Fans will continue to drive the NBA’s business decisions. For now, it seems fans have enjoyed the games, and the NBA Cup is here to stay.
Kevin Durant and Suns take on Lakers in NBA In-Season Tournament
Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns secured the wild card in the West with a 3-1 group play record. They travel to LA to take on the Lakers in the most star-studded quarterfinal matchup of the knockout round.
The Suns will hope that Durant and Devin Booker will be healthy. Durant returned to the lineup and scored 30 points in the loss to the Raptors on Wednesday. Booker is also back in the lineup after missing games. He led the team in scoring in Durant's absence against the Memphis Grizzlies and the New York Knicks.
The Lakers won their first meeting of the season against the Suns 122-119 in Phoenix. LeBron James erupted for 32 points to overcome 38 from Kevin Durant, while Booker did not play.
The Lakers have turned into a different team in tournament games. They are undefeated and averaged a +18.5 point per game differential in four games. They will try to bring out that same magic against the high-scoring Suns.
It could come down to which team’s role players come through to complement the superstars.