The Golden State Warriors were known to be the crowd-favorites the past two seasons mainly because of how fun they are to watch and just allowing their game to speak for themselves. But things have changed since adding former MVP and four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant to their fold last summer as they are now viewed by many as the “villains” of the NBA.

On Thursday night, the highly-anticipated match between the Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder took place at Oracle Arena. It was the first time former teammates Russell Westbrook and Durant faced-off wearing different jerseys. And as far as Westbrook is concerned, the Dubs have become a different team from who they were before as they are fond of something now that they were not doing much in the past. Per Royce Young of ESPN:

“The Warriors were doing a lot of trash talking. Apparently, I guess they talk a lot of trash talk now.”

The 27-year-old point guard may have observed this while on the court and heard other Warriors players doing it to his teammates. But to support his claim, there was one instance when Durant was seen talking to the Thunder bench and had Enes Kanter say some things to him in return.

In an interview after the game, Durant spoke about his former partner-in-crime's claims about them trash-talking. He neither confirmed nor denied it and only mentioned that whatever he gets during games, he gives back as well. The Texas product also discussed how he feels being part of his new team and wants to move forward from the past eight seasons.

“Anybody that's seen me play or that's close to me and knows how I play, they know what it is. As long as it's between the lines, everything is all good with me. I'm going to go out there and be who I am. If you talk, I'll talk back. I don't really say much, but if you start it, I'll finish it.”

“I'm a part of the Golden State Warriors, and I'm excited to be a part of this team. What I did in those last eight years [with OKC] were special. It's something that I'll never forget, but I've got to move forward.”

Given all that transpired last summer between these franchises, it could mean a start of a rivalry from two teams with highly-competitive players who want to win. It was a much-hyped game which turned out to be a one-sided affair, but the Thunder will look to bounce back from this loss and deliver a message to the title-favorites when they visit Chesapeake Energy Arena on January 18.