NEW ORLEANS – There was a pass, a cut and a lob to the rim, and suddenly, the world had changed. Gregg Popovich will gleefully elaborate in between quarter interviews. James Dolan and Charles Oakley will go out for sushi. Sean Spicer will bake cookies for the White House press corps.
Détente came to the NBA. Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook slipped a pass to Golden State's Kevin Durant, who immediately flipped his lob to Westbrook and with a give-and-go slam, the storyline that had hung over the NBA All-Star game had its happy ending.
The presumed animosity between the former Oklahoma City teammates had become so pervasive that Warriors guard Stephen Curry exclaimed, "Oh my God, what just happened?