Trending Now

2:58

'E-Boyz' Ep. 3: Danville

0:50

Capitals vs. Penguins Game 1 preview: Who is more dangerous?

1:42

Player's Cut: Every Ovi goal from Caps-Blue Jackets series

1:49

It's a streak: Caps and Wizards win a combined 6 in a row

0:52

Ovechkin scores second of Game 6 to take two-goal lead

Wizards fans want to see Kevin Durant in Washington so badly that they're willing to boo him. 

That's right. The Verizon Center crowd has been booing Durant every time he touches the ball during Tuesday night's game against the Thunder. 

And it isn't just normal opponent booing. The jeers have been reserved for KD, not other Thunder players. 

Why on earth would fans do such a thing? Out of love, maybe. 

Durant said on Monday that Washington fans cheering for him was "disrespectful" to the Wizards. Asked later in the day about his comments, Bradley Beal agreed. 

From the sounds of Verizon, the crowd heard their remarks. 

Pretty tame introduction for KD. Crowd didn't make a sound when name was announced. Trying not to be disrespectful pic.twitter.com/P1wHzOYa4n

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) November 11, 2015

Fans here are trying their best to boo Durant every time he touches the ball #WizardsTalk @CSNWizards #NBA #WizThunder

— J. Michael (@JMichaelCSN) November 11, 2015

Good effort but their hearts dont seem to be in it #WizardsTalk @CSNWizards #NBA #WizThunder

— J. Michael (@JMichaelCSN) November 11, 2015

WHAT DO WE DO!? WHY WON'T HE TELL US WHAT HE WANTS!? https://t.co/c58Zm5bekG

— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) November 11, 2015

#wizards have gone from being silent, to softly booing Durant when he has the ball. But one fan just said, "KD! Westbrook don't like you!"

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) November 11, 2015

Durant, a Washington area native, will be a free agent in the summer of 2016.

Tuesday night will be his final appearance at the Verizon Center (unless the Wizards and Thunder meet in the NBA Finals) before he must decide whether to stay in Oklahoma City or depart for another team -- perhaps the Wizards. 

Will KD be impressed by his hometown fans' show of loyalty, even if it comes at his expense? 

His game certainly hasn't been fazed by the negative attention: Durant finished the first half with a double-double (14 points and 10 rebounds). 

MORE WIZARDS: Gortat speaks his mind about Durant's future

On the latest episode of the Wizards Tipoff podcast presented by Greenberg and Bederman, Chase Hughes, Travis Thomas and Julie Donaldson reset the series and looked ahead to Game 5.

They were joined by TSN Sports anchor Kayla Grey to find out the Toronto perspective. The Wizards have all the momentum in this series, now they just have to keep it going.

You can listen to the episode right here:

You can download the podcast on Apple Podcasts right here and on Google Play. If you like the show please tell your friends!

You would not have known it by John Wall's towering poster-dunks over Jonas Valanciunas and Jakob Poeltl in Game 4, or his fourth quarter takeover after Bradley Beal fouled out, but Wall is still technically working his way into midseason form from the left knee surgery that kept him out more than two months down the stretch of the regular season. Add into the equation that he sprained his right ankle in Game 3, then resprained it in Game 4 right after Beal went out, and it's quite clear that what he is doing is simply not normal. 

Throughout Wall's recovery, his head coach Scott Brooks remarked how Wall can regain his form unusually quick following an injury absence. Game 4 was just his eighth game back, yet through four playoff games he is averaging an absurd 26.8 points, 13.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.0 blocks.

If that's what he's doing eight games removed from recovery, and against the top team in the Eastern Conference, what does peak playoff form look like? 

"I told y'all, I told all the media that I only need like three or four games. I really didn't need too many games," he said. "All the hard work that I did in those two months was to prepare myself to be ready for the playoffs."

Wall said he started feeling like himself in his final regular season game, his fourth outing following the injury rehab. It was against the Celtics and he scored 29 points to go along with 12 assists, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

"I just started to see shots fall down that I was falling short with a couple games before that," Wall said of that night.

Brooks saw a change in Wall against the Cavaliers on April 5, in just his third game back. That game Wall put up 28 points, 14 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Most importantly, he logged 38 minutes.

"I knew I was going to challenge his body with extra minutes," Brooks said. "The way he responded to that, I knew he was back."

Whenever the turning point happened, there is no looking back. Wall has found his groove to not only impact, but at times dominate playoff games against one of the best defensive teams in basketball.

In Game 4 once Beal went down, Wall looked like the best player on the court. He scored eight of the Wizards' final 14 points to seal the victory and did so on a bum ankle. He outshined both DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, two All-Star guards.

WOWWWWWW JOHN WALL POSTER SLAM!!!!!

LIVE STREAM: https://t.co/Uvk3ibqA3C pic.twitter.com/O7fFtfMqaO

— NBC Sports Wizards (@NBCSWizards) April 22, 2018

Wall even played sound defense on DeRozan in big moments. DeRozan shot 10-for-29 in the game.

"I think I did a good job of contesting him," Wall said. "Just do whatever it takes to help this team win."

What Brooks predicted would happen has indeed played out. He has been with Wall for about two years now and knows what the star point guard is made of.

"I've been with him two years, he loves to play," Brooks said, noting there have been some tough conversations to convince him to come out of games.

Consider this: Wall has scored 20 points or more in six straight games, his longest streak of the 2017-18 season. He has actually reached 23 points or more in those six games, which is tied for the longest such streak of his entire career.

Through eight games overall and four games in the playoffs, Wall has reminded everyone of what the Wizards missed. Yes, they went 10-3 when he first went down with the injury in late January, but that was not sustainable.

They need Wall to reach their full potential as a team and especially in the postseason. Late-game situations like in Game 4, when Beal exited and it was tied with 4:58 to play, are when the superstars separate themselves.

Wall did that and now the Wizards are in good shape with the series at 2-2 and having won two straight.

"Blame everything on him," Brooks joked of the Wizards' up-and-down regular season. "If he wasn't hurt, we'd be better, right?"

NBC Sports Washington is on Apple News. Favorite us!

MORE FROM WIZARDS-RAPTORS SERIES:

WALL IS BOYCOTTING DRAKE'S MUSIC DURING SERIES

OUBRE IS HELPING THE WIZARDS WIN IN MANY WAYS

WALL WAS DUNKING ALL OVER RAPTORS BIG MEN