Kevin Durant and the Thunder are featured in a six-page spread in the edition of The Sporting News released last weekend. Durant talks about how winning an NBA title is his No. 1 goal. He also talked about the franchise's move and how much he hates losing, and he says that Oklahoma "is a football state that's coming around."

General manager Sam Presti is featured in a sidebar. Presti recalled Oklahoma City professionals working for free in late September to assure a renovated practice facility was ready. He also retold a story about a call he received last summer when Durant was with the USA Select Team in Las Vegas.

"They said, 'You'll never guess where Kevin Durant was last night,' " Presti recalled. "(Since he was in Vegas), I nervously asked where he was. The answer was 'He was in the gym late, practicing.' It was just Kevin, Jeff Green and Kobe Bryant."

SUMMER SCHOOL

Calling Texas his second home, Durant plans to return to Austin to take a class or two in June. Durant took only one course last summer. He hasn't decided whether he will enroll in more classes this summer but has promised his mother he will someday earn a degree.

"I'm nowhere near. I'm not even halfway there," Durant said. "I was only there one year. It may take 10 years, but I'll keep going back until I finish."

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP

Missing seven games due to a severely sprained ankle, Durant saw his average slip for the first time all season in March (24.8) after increasing his scoring each month - November (22.2), December (25.1), January (27.8) and February (30.6). Averaging 25.8 points for the season to rank fourth behind Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Bryant, Durant has compiled 20 30-point games after totaling nine all last season. During his Rookie of the Year season, Durant averaged 20.3 points.

CHARITY SUCCESS

The Thunder finished third in the league in freethrow shooting (82.1) in March. OKC has shot 82.3 percent the past two months to climb to ninth for the season after shooting 76.7 percent the first three months.

"We spend time on it every day," said coach Scott Brooks. "Guys have stayed with the same routine. The reps are the same. Those are things you need to become a great free-throw shooter. You obviously have to have the fundamentals of form down and then stick with your routine. We have some good freethrow shooters who have put in the work."

FAST BREAK

The Thunder has won 13 consecutive games when it has held an opponent under 100 points, a streak that dates back to a Jan. 9 loss to Houston. ... OKC never trailed in the second half of a 96-95 win Tuesday night in San Antonio. Three times the Spurs cut the deficit to one point, but their final lead was in the early stages of the second quarter.