Thursdays game between the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder will mark the first time Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook?face each other as NBA opponents, and despite all the perceived animosity between the two, Durant says he still views Westbrook as a brother.We were brothers. We are brothers, Durant told the San Jose Mercury News?on Tuesday when speaking of his relationship with his former teammate.Durants decision to sign with Golden State over Oklahoma City has been interpreted by many as confirmation that he and the Thunder point guard never got along, a sentiment Durant dismisses.You only see [Russ and I], everybody only see us, on this court at 7 oclock, Durant told the newspaper. So how can you comment anything we have going on relationship-wise? Basketball-wise, you can make your assumptions because its out there in front of you. Thats the facts. But you cant tell me what type of person I was with Russell or what type of person he was with me. They dont have a clue. They dont. So how can they say that?All that stuff I hear is lies. All that stuff that Im taking shots at the Thunder or Russell, its just there to try to separate us. They did it when we were playing together. They tried to separate us. So obviously, theyre going to do it even more now. Cmon. I dont have nothing against Russell. As I shouldnt. And I dont think he have nothing against me. I dont think hes taking shots at me. I dont think hes doing anything that everyone is putting out there. Its for your entertainment, your pleasure, your joy. I see it all the time. They want us to beef because of the game on Thursday. They want more suspense and excitement when they turn the TV on ... Thats what they want. But Im not letting that get between us.While Durant is happy to have joined the Warriors, he admits he couldve done a better job of breaking the news to Westbrook by sending more than just a text message.Thats something me and him will talk about. Im not saying Im right. Im not saying I did it the right way. Im owning up to that, Durant told the Mercury News. Were not going to go through this in the media, though. Im not going to say I shouldve did this, shouldve did that. Well figure our differences out as men one-on-one. ... Were going through a tough time right now in our relationship. But were brothers at the end of the day.Although the Thunder are now his Western Conference foes, Durant told USA Today?on Tuesday that he is still watching his old teammates in Oklahoma City, and he noted that Westbrook is controlling the game.Im definitely watching. The stuff that Ive been through with that team and that organization, that stuff doesnt just go away, Durant told USA Today. I said that in July when I made this decision. It dont just go away, so Ive got nothing but love for everybody there. Everybody. No matter how they feel about me, everybody on Oklahoma City, on that team, of course I watch them. I support them. I want them to do well.If he considers himself and Westbrook brothers and still supports the Thunder, why was Durants relationship with the point guard always seen as a point of contention? Durant says part of it was based on who the two are as people and where they are in their personal lives.Me and Russell grew up together. I was in the phase of finding out who I was outside of basketball. He already knew who he was. He already had a stable life. He had stable parents, a girlfriend through college. I didnt have none of that stuff, Durant told the Mercury News. Im trying to find out who I am, which I didnt know, which is not a bad thing. He knew who he was. So obviously, were going to grow [in different directions]. Its not a bad thing. Its not at all. We still hung out. Were boys. My interest went this way, his went that way. He got married, I didnt. He hung with his wife. What you want me to do? I love Russ. I dont care what nobody say. I dont care what he say or what the fans say. Like, this is a tough time right now in our relationship. But I love Russ. I love his family.Even with the radio silence between the two, Durant sees a future in which he and Westbrook are back on speaking terms.If Im getting married, hes getting an invite, Durant told the Mercury News. If I go to the Hall of Fame, hes getting an invite. Even if he dont accept it. Basketball beef, Im not on that. Ezekiel Elliott Jersey . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. Charles Haley Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. http://www.cheapcowboysjerseyschina.com/jake-campos-jersey/ . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. 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Andy Murray is ready to enjoy some well-earned downtime after his 22-match winning streak finally came to an end in Cincinnati.Since losing the French Open final to Novak Djokovic, world No.2 Murray has won the Aegon Championships, his second Wimbledon title, and a second Olympic gold medal after defeating Juan Martin del Potro in a gruelling four-set, four-hour final in Rio.The 29-year-old Scot flew directly from Brazil to Cincinnati to contest the Western & Southern Open, which he won in 2008 and then 2011.Shunning the effects of jet lag, he beat Juan Monaco, Kevin Anderson, Bernard Tomic and Milos Raonic without too much trouble to set up a final showdown with Marin Cilic on Sunday.It was the Croatian who emerged victorious, however, with former US Open champion Cilic winning 6-4, 7-5 to claim his first Masters title.But Murray -- the latest member of the 600 Club having reached the ATP World Tour match-wins milestone against Anderson -- was not too downhearted.He told the elite circuits official website: Im very proud of this week. Obviously today it didnt go how I wouldve wanted. I certainly didnt expect to get to the final when I arrived here.ddddddddddddI had some pretty good wins along the way. Today there were tough, tricky conditions with the wind.I think if I got off to a better start maybe could have done a bit better. I had a break point in his first service game and 0-30 in his next service game.I was pretty much behind from that point on and it was tough. Its a very, very positive week. Im looking forward to a few days rest now.Cilic was battling against fatigue, too. His semifinal showdown with Grigor Dimitrov finished at 1.35am local time Sunday, and he had a lie-in to recuperate.I went to sleep around 4am and woke up a little bit before 11am, he said. That was enough to recover.I felt that I played really good tennis today. The serve was a big factor in my game. I was hitting a lot of big serves in