Durant downplays off-court feud with Russ: 'That's just not who I am'

Though it's sometimes tough for the average fan to grasp, professional athletes often treat their work much the way the rest of the world does - they go about their business and try not to take it home with them.

So try as fans and media might to envision an off-court feud between former teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Durant told HBO's Bill Simmons that's just not in his DNA.

"I don't care about you that much to try to want to hate you," Durant said. "I hear all the time that 'Michael (Jordan) hated such and such, Isiah (Thomas) hated such and such.' I'm not thinking about you at home when I'm on my couch for me to hate you that much. That's just not who I am."

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Durant did mention that he will continue to compete against Westbrook and others on the court, but that he doesn't carry it with him when he steps off the floor. "I'm not going out and meeting Russell by his car. He's not going to want to fight me. I don’t care about all that."

There are surely plenty of observers out there who assume Westbrook feels differently.