Kevin Durant apologizes to Warriors for ejection in Game 1 of NBA playoffs

OAKLAND -- About an hour after the Warriors' Game 1 victory over the Clippers on Saturday, Kevin Durant seemed to dismiss any notion of problems following his ejection for arguing with Patrick Beverley.

Two days later, Durant took a short, more apologetic approach when asked about the exchange in the NBA playoff series opener.

"I don’t wanna disappoint my coaches, my fan base, and owners who expect me to be on the floor," Durant said hours ahead of Game 2 on Monday afternoon. "So I apologize for being thrown out the game."

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Throughout Golden State's 121-104 win, Beverley and Durant, who finished with 23 points and four rebounds, exchanged a number of verbal disputes. Beverley, after being called for a foul, mocked Durant after the Warriors forward flailed his arms as he took a step out of bounds following the whistle.

When Durant fouled Beverley in the fourth quarter, the former MVP stood over the Clippers guard, before the two were thrown out. Following the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr didn't seem pleased with Durant's actions, considering the Former NBA Finals MVP picked up two technicals in the first game of the postseason, with the seventh garnering an automatic ejection.

"He took the bait," Kerr said. "That's two technicals, your seventh one is a suspension in the playoffs. Whether you play four games or 24, seven is the magic number. He's got four to play with."

"In the moment it was cool," Durant said Monday. "But just the reaction after the game, I don't want coach or my teammates or the organization upset with me because of some sh*t I did. I don't want to get in the way of what's going on on the floor. It's a huge distraction and I don't want that to be a part of the series, I just want to play. It looked like it was a distraction."