Durant: Time with Team USA 'therapy for me'

Kevin Durant said his experience in Rio de Janeiro with Team USA provided a needed escape from the backlash he has received after leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign with the Golden State Warriors.

Durant scored 30 points Sunday in the U.S. team's 96-66 victory over Serbia in the gold-medal game. He told The Vertical that playing for his country helped to flip his script and change his role from villain to hero.

"It was therapy for me after making a big change in my life," Durant told The Vertical. "It made my life easier ... I knew [a backlash] was coming.

"It was definitely different for me, but to come here in an environment where people accepted me and didn't care about anything…