Kevin Durant knows his Chicago Bulls-Oklahoma City Thunder game is the mere opening act before the NBA Finals rematch and Christmas showcase between LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors.
Being the snow-crunching reindeer ahead of Santa's big scene isn't all bad.
It's just not what All-Stars truly aspire to.
Durant knows Cavs-Dubs was the most-watched NBA championship series since Michael Jordan's heyday in 1998, and he certainly knows how deeply it stung him that James and Curry got to play for everything while Durant was just trying to walk normally after a third surgery on his right foot.