We shared news three weeks ago that HBO would soon air a “reality special” presenting a behind-the-scenes look at the summertime workouts of reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant. Here’s a sneak peek (no @StealthMountain) at a scene from that special — “The Offseason: Kevin Durant,” produced in conjunction with HBO Sports and set to debut on HBO on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 10 p.m. ET — that shows Durant working on his explosiveness and endurance by running hill sprints in the sand with his longtime teammate and All-Star running buddy Russell Westbrook:
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Nothing like watching two top-10 talents and athletic marvels getting their Rocky-and-Apollo on to make you feel like an even more tremendous slouch as you think, “Eh, screw it,” and decide to make another peanut butter and jelly sandwich rather than go out for a run this afternoon. (You know, hypothetically speaking.)
Such scenes of intense offseason preparation and discussions about the evolution of Durant’s relationship with his longtime teammate seem even more poignant now that the superstar scorer has been sidelined by a Jones fracture in his right foot that has, for the time being, reduced him to scooting and is likely to keep him sidelined for the first six or so weeks of the season. After undergoing all those trials and triumphs together, and after taking the Thunder’s reins throughout last season while Westbrook worked his way back from multiple knee surgeries, Durant now enters this campaign with the shoe — or, as the case may be, the walking boot — on the other foot.
While the injury technically took place during the offseason, it won’t take place during “The Offseason,” as the special stretches “from the moment his NBA basketball season ended on May 31, until he reported to training camp for the upcoming season in late September.” Still in all, given the bummerific reality that Durant will be on the shelf for a spell, the mini-doc should offer Thunder lovers and NBA die-hards a much-needed injection of KD hooping, if the trailer’s any indication:
It ain’t quite the real thing, but as methadone goes, it’s not half bad.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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