In Game 4, Durant at His Best with Westbrook, Who Holds Key to OKC Future

OKLAHOMA CITY — The whipping wind, as it so often does, blew through Oklahoma City on Sunday. Tornado watches in effect; large hail reported, too.

This felt different than the usual threat, though.

Anxiety rolled through in a way the weathermen couldn't convey with all their local storm updates.

It was cloudy with a chance of Kevin Durant playing his final home game in OKC.

Well aware were the locals how swiftly all their Thunder fun, even if it hasn't reached championship consummation, could be blown away when Durant makes his free-agent decision this summer.

Short of that actual absence, nothing could make their hearts grow fonder for Durant, which is why he wound up saying late Sunday night, unprompted, how impressed he was by the crowd helping him rally the Thunder for a series-tying Game 4 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, 111-97.

"Probably the loudest I've ever heard ‘em," Durant said.

Quirky teammate Steven Adams seconded that in his unique way, explaining, "Almost fainted, bro. It was so loud."

The threat of losing Games 4 and 5, this second-round series and possibly Durant made Sunday a most pressure-packed night for the home team.

It contributed to the Thunder's tight play much of the game, but it also set the stage for something special to emerge after the Spurs went up by six points early in the fourth quarter:

"Competitive character" is what Thunder coach Billy Donovan calls it.

And above all else, that is what Durant can trust co-star Russell Westbrook possesses, and certainly vice versa.

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This OKC team is an unbalanced crew compared to other top-heavy NBA rosters we've seen. And while Durant isn't consciously judging his young teammates—or the first-year head coach at whom he glanced twice in one sequence in search of support against the refs as he struggled—through his free-agency lens now, all those around him, and even the fans, will be scrutinized soon, rest assured.

Ultimately, though, Durant's toughest decision will be whether to give up what he shares with Westbrook.

For whatever OKC hasn't provided Durant, he has become able to depend on this brotherhood of competitive character. That's what has made this a contending team and let this healthy partnership last far longer than most co-stars can manage.

It's why Durant, sitting at the dais for his usual postgame press briefing alongside Westbrook, subtly nodded when a reporter brought up Westbrook's composure after an incident early in the game threatened to make this one incredibly memorable final home appearance for Durant.

Upset over not getting a foul call in the first quarter, Westbrook teetered near the edge of an ejection, but veteran referee Danny Crawford penalized Westbrook's aggressive protestations with only one technical foul instead of what would've been a never-forgotten two, plus ejection.

Westbrook took advantage thereafter, quashing the emotional overflow enough to execute the game plan with his 15 assists. The Spurs had just 12 as a team as Donovan and the Thunder dared Tony Parker to dribble more than he is used to at this point in his career.

And it was in that spirit of giving that Westbrook was doing his own nodding next to Durant after the game. Questioned about taking over down the stretch, Durant, who outscored San Antonio in the fourth, 17-16, offered an answer whose truth Westbrook respected.

"I didn't shoot it every time I touched it," Durant pointed out, prompting Westbrook's agreement.   

No one is more aware than Westbrook of the massive challenge Durant faces in maximizing his epic scoring capability while reading the defense to create shots for teammates. It has basically been Donovan's season-long goal for both of them:

Get Durant and Westbrook to be as generous and trusting as possible by this point in the season.

When Westbrook failed the Game 3 test, missing 21 of a game-high 31 shots with eight assists and five turnovers, the Thunder lost. He isn’t a pure point guard and never should be asked to be just that, but his sense of timing, reading of defense and control of game for teammates' benefit to this point have not grown to where Durant more consistently goes.

Even in a 41-point Game 4 with a ho-hum assist-to-turnover ratio of four-to-five, Durant aced the exam in Game 4. With Westbrook largely deferring to him late, Durant dominated—and properly picked spots to pass when San Antonio overloaded its defense to him.

"Remarkable," Donovan said, like a proud parent.

That sheer competitive character has willed Oklahoma City to a lot of winning in the past.

What could be new and different—in Durant's evaluation of his future, too—is if what we saw in Game 4 is where Durant and Westbrook have elevated their games.

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Has their competitive character evolved to the point that they can make the guys around them better than ever—even if those guys aren't actually as talented, experienced or clutch as the role players the Warriors, Spurs or Cavaliers have? That would be a sound reason for Durant to make at least a one-year commitment to stay with the Thunder until Westbrook's free agency in 2017.

Or is there a harsher reality developing in this series—that Durant is way ahead of Westbrook in this evolution?

What Durant did Sunday night was one of the greats playing a superior brand of game despite obvious reason for distraction. He worked past the early pressure and anxiety that filled his home arena, then fought through visible fatigue late—coming up short on free throws, stooping over with his hands on his knees, having Randy Foye and Andre Roberson literally pull him off the bench after one timeout and straight into an offensive set.

Durant played all but about a minute of the third quarter and then went the entire fourth (while mostly defending Kawhi Leonard, who was scoreless in the fourth) until victory was secure with 43.3 seconds left.

Durant's teammates helped him get the job done, but they need to do it again in San Antonio at least once to extend their season and give Durant another round of playoffs to see that they are worth trusting. If Durant and Westbrook have elevated their competitive character to a new level now, they can prove it by beating the Spurs in this series.

If not, perhaps Durant comes to the realization that his competitive character has outgrown Westbrook's. Then, maybe it makes sense to look for a new home.

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And in that scenario, it's fascinating to consider what Durant could do if he's not sharing the ball and team leadership with Westbrook, whose influence is stronger than ever.

Just how massive would the impact be if we could get the total unleashing of a fully evolved Kevin Durant?

Whether with the support of a richer, deeper roster or the freedom to run a rising team designed to maximize all of his gifts, it would be the chance for Durant to be a player we haven't met yet.

Sunday night was a glimpse of what more Durant aspires to be. What we all need to find out is if he should be that player in Oklahoma City.

Kevin Ding is an NBA senior writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @KevinDing.