OAKLAND, Calif. _ There are two games in the way first, but the Warriors are well aware of the date circled in bright red ink at the end of the week.
Kevin Durant returns to Oklahoma City on Saturday, where more than 18,000 screaming Thunder fans will have their lungs ready.
After practice on Tuesday, Stephen Curry was already crossing his fingers that the cheers would drown out the boos.
"I don't know how the fans will react, but people should appreciate what he did there," the Warriors guard said after practice. "Because that's special that anybody in this league can be a face of the franchise for so long. He represented inspiration and hope for so many people for so many years.
"You hope people appreciate that regardless of what decision he made this summer."
As the warm-up act, the Warriors host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday before playing at Memphis on Friday.
Then comes showdown Saturday in which Durant returns to Oklahoma City for the first time since his controversial decision to sign a two-year $54.5 million contract with Golden State. The game will be nationally televised by ABC.
Durant, who was 20 when the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City, went on to win four scoring titles and an MVP award with the Thunder.
"There are going to be emotions that he'll have. He left a lot of blood, sweat and tears in OKC for a long time," Curry said. "That becomes part of who you are. ... He grew up there, pretty much, into a man. That's hard to turn off."
