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Jae Crowder Calls Out Kevin Durant For Signing With Warriors

BOSTON (CBS) -- After the Celtics made their pitch to free agent Kevin Durant, Boston's Jae Crowder didn't think the superstar was leaving Oklahoma City.

But if Durant did decide to change uniforms, Crowder was confident he would trade his Thunder jersey for a Celtics one.

So when Durant announced on July 4 that he had decided to join forces with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in Golden State, Crowder was surprised. Then he was angry. Real angry.

Crowder's frustration with Durant's decision was on full display Thursday, when the C's forward was at the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame for a 60 Days of Summer event. Crowder discussed Boston's pitch to Durant, which included their secrets to beating the Warriors in Golden State last season. The fact that information is now in Golden State, along with Durant, isn't sitting well with No. 99.

"We were the only team in the NBA to beat both (Cleveland and Golden State) on their home court — the only team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics. We told him that," Crowder told reporters, according to MassLive.com. "We played him clips from both games and told him basically the scouting report of how we guarded Steph and Klay — our entire game plan, basically. That's what made me mad. We (expletive) told him everything we do to beat these guys, and we beat them, and he went and joined them. I mean, that's part of the process, but I did not think he would go to those two teams ... I felt like afterward, I was talking to Isaiah, like maybe after you sit back, you shouldn't have told him everything, but who the (expletive) thought he was going to Golden State, realistically? It was like a slap in the face for us, basically."

Durant has been criticized for "taking the easy road to a title" by joining Golden State, further fueling the distaste of NBA stars joining forces to form a super team. While Durant's decision stings, it's provided Crowder and the Celtics another layer of motivation for next season.

"That team is for sure the villain of the league," Crowder said of the Warriors. "Every other NBA guy, friends of mine, are really disgusted from how the league is turning on that standpoint. Everybody is joining together, everybody wants to go to Golden State or Cleveland."

While his anger may be focused on Durant and the Warriors, Crowder isn't going to let that get in the way of Boston's real focus: Beating the Cavaliers.

"We have to see Cleveland. That's where my focus is, that's what drives me. We have to beat those guys to advance," he said.

Losing out on Durant was no fun for the Celtics or their fans, but it has certainly motivated the team to prove they don't need a star to win. The NBA season may be over three months away, but Jae Crowder is already ready to go to war.

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