There’s a good chance Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will be on opposite sides of the court during the NBA All-Star Game on February 18. In case you’re not privy, this years contest has a new format, with two captains in charge of selecting their own teams from the pool of players voted into the All-Star Game. While Curry is one of those captains, the other, LeBron James, has the first pick in the draft, and with Durant as arguably the best player available, may be looking to team up with the Warriors superstar for the first time.
If that does happen, Durant is already preparing and thinking about how he’ll defend Curry, and jokingly laid out his ideal outcome if the two end up going head-to-head at Warriors shoot-around on Monday.
Kevin Durant said he doesn't care if LeBron picks him first in All-Star draft or if he falls to Steph: "I'm prepared to switch out on Steph in the pick-and-roll, force him to the rim and block his shot." pic.twitter.com/8FsOTpx1cu
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 22, 2018
This will be the first time that All-Stars from the Western Conference will have a chance to play on the same team as those from the Eastern Conference. As of now, Curry and Durant are the only two Warriors who have been selected to play, as each were voted in as starters. The reserves — which could include both Klay Thompson and Draymond Green — will be announced on Tuesday. Team captains must select players voted in as starters before they can select reserves.
This will be Durant’s ninth consecutive All-Star game appearance and Curry’s fifth. Durant was named MVP of the game in 2014. Green and Thompson are looking to get selected to their third and fourth All-Star Games respectively.