http://nba-facts-and-rumors.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/27311629?source=rss_blogs_NBA

by Ben Golliver

The NBA superstar clique is generally a tight-knit, insular group and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant is usually a soft-spoken, polite man. Those realities changed a bit today, as Durant publicly called out Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh following a nationally-televised game between the two teams on Sunday.

Royce Young of CBSSports.com reports that Durant was upset with Bosh over a skirmish that took place in the first half.

"I was talking to my teammate and [Bosh] decided he wanted to put his two cents into it. I am quiet guy, laid back guy, but I’m not going to let nobody talk trash to me. He’s on a good team now so he thinks he can talk a little bit. There are a lot of fake tough guys in this league and he’s one of them."

"I’m no punk. I wasn’t even talking to him first off. He decided to butt in and I’m not going to just let that slide. Especially in our house. Like I said, he’s not one of those guys I look at and say he has a rap for talking back to guys or getting into it. He’s a nice guy. I’m not going to let that type of person say something to me like that."

The skirmish was sparked, according to the Associated Press , after a Bosh hard foul on Thunder guard James Harden.

Here's video of the exchange that precipitated the double technical fouls on Bosh and Durant.

Durant's words mark another development in his career arc, as, up to this point, he's been content with proving himself on the court and avoiding any major exchanges of words off the court.

Here, though, Durant clearly felt that protocol had been violated. To go at Bosh in such a personal way -- poking fun at his decision to team up with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, to call into question Bosh's toughness -- shows an edge I can't recall seeing out of Durant. I kind of like it.

While many superstars couldn't get away with this type of negative commentary without catching a backlash, Durant will almost assuredly skate clean here because Bosh is reviled and mocked by so many fans for the exact reasons Durant mentions. Bosh missed a bunch of time recently with a high ankle sprain and made a huge fuss about how the injury occurred and he posed in an absolutely ridiculous Maxim shoot , for example. Who is this guy to pretend to play enforcer?

The only problem with Durant's comments, of course, is that the Heat defeated the Thunder, 108-103. Knowing Durant and his legendary competitivess, the loss will likely stick in his craw far longer than anything Bosh did on the court.

by Matt Moore

Kevin Durant and Chris Bosh had some words today in the Thunder’s loss to the Heat, and then spoke some even stronger words to the press post-game. In the first quarter, the two were involved in a small altercation of words that resulted in double technicals for both stars. Bosh says the altercation was the product of Durant encouraging James Harden to dunk on Bosh. From The Oklahoman:

“He was telling Harden to dunk on me,” Bosh said. “He said dunk the next one. I expressed that, no, he’s not going to dunk that. And he expressed, yes he is. We just kind of went back and forth. I don’t think it was anything to get a tech over. It was just talking.”

But the stronger words were from Durant, who called Chris Bosh a “fake tough guy.”

“I was talking to my teammate and [Bosh] decided he wanted to put his two cents into it. I am quiet guy, laid back guy, but I’m not going to let nobody talk trash to me. He’s on a good team now so he thinks he can talk a little bit. There are a lot of fake tough guys in this league and he’s one of them.”

“I’m no punk. I wasn’t even talking to him first off. He decided to butt in and I’m not going to just let that slide. Especially in our house. Like I said, he’s not one of those guys I look at and say he has a rap for talking back to guys or getting into it. He’s a nice guy. I’m not going to let that type of person say something to me like that.”

For a guy as vanilla as KD, that’s the equivalent of calling someone a dirty word. Durant himself has been described as super nice, even as this more competitive side starts to poke through more and more. Bosh has taken a considerable flak for not being “tough” inside, but he also did superb work against a weaker Thunder interior, with a combination of hook shots, inside layups off the cut and his preferred mid-range jumper. That Durant has words for him is pretty indicative of where Bosh’s reputation has landed.

Still, if Durant didn’t have the fan-friendly reputation he has, you have to wonder if he would be slapped with a sore-loser comment. But because he’s Durant, and Bosh is, well, like a Bosh, this will probably only serve to make Durant more a hero to the people.

With the Heat and Thunder expected to both be contenders over the next half-decade, we may have the start of a rivalry here.

He’s on a good team now so he thinks he can talk a little bit. There are a lot of fake tough guys in this league and he’s one of them."

TMS wrote:i'm gonna side with Bosh on this one... didn't seem like a hard foul to me... for Durant to tell Harden to dunk it on him the next time is a sign of disrespect... if Bosh had told Wade to do that to Durant i doubt he'd have taken so well to it either... Durant should probably keep his mouth shut, looks like Bosh could kick his arse if u ask me... & i don't even like Bosh.

I gotta disagree here. I don't think Durant was trying to disrespect Bosh by telling Harden to dunk it. He was right. Harden went up kind of soft looking for a foul imo. We all know he can dunk, he should have. He's not a bad free throw shooter but still, go up strong and finish. But thats just my two cents.

Durant pulling a B move. These guys kill me. Durant could have got in his face during the game. He didnt do **** though.

STFU Durant. You should have handled that on the court.

Marvin Williams and Shawne Williams are REAL tough guys.

TMS wrote:

ATrain wrote:

TMS wrote:i'm gonna side with Bosh on this one... didn't seem like a hard foul to me... for Durant to tell Harden to dunk it on him the next time is a sign of disrespect... if Bosh had told Wade to do that to Durant i doubt he'd have taken so well to it either... Durant should probably keep his mouth shut, looks like Bosh could kick his arse if u ask me... & i don't even like Bosh.

I gotta disagree here. I don't think Durant was trying to disrespect Bosh by telling Harden to dunk it. He was right. Harden went up kind of soft looking for a foul imo. We all know he can dunk, he should have. He's not a bad free throw shooter but still, go up strong and finish. But thats just my two cents.

well it depends on who u believe i guess... Durant didn't make any mention of what he said, only that he was talking to Harden & Bosh chimed in... Bosh said he heard Durant telling Harden to dunk ON him the next time... maybe the truth lies somewhere in between... regardless, i don't view Bosh as some kind of tough guy obviously but i don't think Durant should be calling people out in that manner, dude looks like he would snap in 2 with a stiff winter breeze... not that skinny dudes can't kick some arse... i understand he took offense to Bosh chiming in that's fine, leave it on the court, don't play it out in the press when the guy's not around... just my personal take.

Durant is wiry.

Finestrg wrote:Funny. I think Shaq also called Bosh a fake tough guy at one point, back when he played for the Suns and Bosh was with Toronto. LOL.

"I heard what Chris Bosh said, and that's strong words coming from the RuPaul of big men"

Childs2Dudley wrote:RuPaul would have quit the NBA if he played in the 90's against Oakley and Mason. He is a huge bitch and definitely a fake tough guy.

Xavier McDaniel would have put him cowering in a corner.