Russell Westbrook talks Clippers and Kevin Durant; Says there's no beef with Suns Superstar.

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant played for 8 year together as teammates of the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2008-2016. Kevin Durant would leave to Golden State in the free agency of 2016. Westbrook would be traded away in the 2019 offseason as Oklahoma City went rebuild mode. Following Durant's move to Golden State, there was bad blood between the 2 superstars in matchups in the 2016-17 season and multiple matchups after Durant's move to Golden State, but as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant prepare to face each other in a playoff series for the first time, Westbrook iterates that there is no animosity or as he stated "beef" between him and his former Oklahoma City teammate.

Westbrook and Durant will be opponents on the court once again Sunday Night in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Los Angeles Clippers will face the Phoenix Suns on April 16th at 8 PM, Live on TNT.

On facing his former Oklahoma City teammate, "It will be normal for me," Westbrook said. "I think people still think like there's some beef or something." Westbrook jokingly added, "There's no beef of any [kind], so I think that's the good narrative for media, for people to talk about, But there's no beef. I got nothing but respect for him and things he's done with his career and having to see him back from injury. There's no beef at all. But he knows I'm going to compete and I know he's going to compete and that's all it is." Westbrook added.

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant were teammates from 2008-2016 where they had 1 finals appearance, and 2 Western Conference Finals appearance in 6 playoff berths. The pair of superstars, along with James Harden, took the NBA world by storm in the 2011-12 postseason when they knocked off LA and San Antonio en route to their finals appearance. The trio would lose to Lebron James and the Miami Heat in 5 games. Harden would be traded to Houston that off-season following their success in the playoffs. In the 2016 off-season, Durant would leave Oklahoma City for the defending western conference runner up and the team OKC fell victim to in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, The Golden State Warriors. From the eight year period that Durant and Westbrook were teammates in Oklahoma City, the pair connected 1,465 times, by far the most of any combination during that span, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Not even other great duos like MJ and Pippen or Shaq and Kobe even reached 1,000 over those seasons.

Westbrook and Durant have faced each other eleven times since their split the first coming in the 2016-17 season. The second time they matched up Durant was met with boos and cupcakes all around. Since the pairs splitting Westbrook's teams have the advantage as of right now with Westbrook's teams going 6-5 against Durant's teams in regular-season meetings. In the 2 battles against each other Durant and Westbrook have held their own on the basketball court against each other, Durant averaging 32 points while Westbrook averages 28.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.5 assists in the matchups against Durant since Durant departed from Oklahoma City in 2016-17.

The Los Angeles Clippers will most definitely need the type of production from Russell Westbrook that he's been known for his whole entire career, the production that made him a league wide respected Point Guard and NBA MVP. When he's letting the game come to him and not forcing much. While Paul George remains sidelined from an injury suffered against a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder in late March, The Clippers' All-Star remains sidelined as the team gave no timeline for George's return in their last injury update. The Clippers will need Westbrook to be on top of his game, they will need the type of production that made Westbrook a league MVP in 2016-17, to help them get a good start in the series against a powerful Phoenix side that showcases Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton.

The Clippers might have faced some huge names in the playoffs before like players from Luka Doncic to Nikola Jokic to Donovan Mitchell. However, The Clippers haven't faced an already strong suns team before that added Durant at the trade deadline. The Clippers players this week, have been speaking of Durant this week as if he's the biggest offensive obstacle they've faced yet, which might be true but only time will tell.

"I respect all those guys," Clippers forward Nic Batum said. "But he's in a different category. KD is different than all those guys. Those guys are great, but KD is KD. He's a champion, one of the all-time greats, one of the best small forwards we've ever seen in this league, in this game overall. It's not easy when you face a matchup like this."

Westbrook is looking forward to being back in the playoffs after missing the Playoffs during his time with the Lakers last season and as well as this year when with the Lakers Westbrook was not having the greatest season. However, now Westbrook is keen to be in the playoffs and bring his best play to the Clippers.

"Just his ability -- he's always been very efficient," Westbrook said of Durant. "But I think his ability to be more efficient and still score the ball at a high rate. … He's probably one of the best scorers I've seen, just can score at ease and look so effortlessly.

"I think over the years, he's figured out ways to score the basketball at a very, very high rate, and that's kind of what I've seen over the years."

Westbrook with some high praise for his former teammate as the Superstar Point Guard prepares for the first round playoff matchup with his former teammate.

The Clippers will travel to The Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona to take on The Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Suns host the Clippers on Sunday at 8:00 PM, Live on ESPN.