While the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns are preparing for their first round playoff series, a lot of eyes are on Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.

The two former Oklahoma City Thunder stars have been apart for seven seasons now, but this will be the first time the two will face off in a series since their separation in the summer of 2016. Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors reportedly didn’t go over well, and some of that bled onto the court when the Thunder and Warriors played in Oklahoma City for the first time since the trade.

So after all this time, what will it be like for Westbrook facing off against his former teammate, now with the Phoenix Suns?

“It’s nothing, it’ll be normal for me,” Russell Westbrook said of facing Kevin Durant for the first time in a playoff series. “I think people still think there’s some beef or something. There’s no beef of any sort. I think that’s the narrative for media, for people to talk about. But there’s no beef that I got. Nothing but respect for him and things he’s done with his career. Happy to see him back from injury. There’s no beef at all. He knows I’m gonna compete, I know he’s gonna compete, and that’s all it is.”

This isn’t the first time Westbrook has shut down any rumored beef with Durant. Back in December of 2019, following a game between the Houston Rockets and LA Clippers, Russell Westbrook was asked how the parting between him and Paul George was amicable having seen how the Kevin Durant divorce went.