People Really Think Kevin Durant Wasn't In On That Peyton Manning Joke?
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Kevin Durant made a face, and everyone fell for it.
Peyton Manning told plenty of jokes during the ESPY Awards on Wednesday night, many of which mildly roasted their targets. One of his best involved Durant, the reigning NBA Finals MVP who drew plenty of criticism last offseason for joining the Golden State Warriors.
For many, Durant leaving the Thunder to join the team that had beaten them in the previous playoffs was simply a bad look - so Peyton roasted him for it. And when the joke was told, Durant's reaction stole the spotlight:
Somehow, the second cut to Durant's reaction wasn't enough of a giveaway. He's 100 percent struggling to keep a straight face, because there's zero chance he wasn't in on the joke. Yet somehow Durant was able to convince a lot of people that his reaction was genuine.
He even offered his own Twitter reaction:
Durant (and Russell Westbrook, for that matter) couldn't have possibly been unaware that Peyton's joke was coming. These things are staged, people. If that reaction was real it would have been literally the biggest butt-hurt reaction of all time. Way too many people reacted to this like it was their first time watching an awards show.
Durant won Best Championship Performance for his NBA Finals win, but his biggest victory of the night was the one he pulled on gullible TV viewers.
UPDATE: ESPN's Chris Haynes reported what was obvious to people with eyes and brains, that Durant was in on the joke.
Matt Dolloff is a writer/producer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS, CBS Radio, or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @Dolloff985 and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
