It was a Wednesday night in Memphis, three days after Christmas.
The Thunder was playing only the third game of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season when tempers flared between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. A shocking sideline spat ensued, resulting in the two stars shouting at each other and needing to be separated.
Years of perceived tension between the two was playing out in front of a capacity crowd and mere feet away from stunned Grizzlies fans seated behind the visitor's bench inside FedExForum.
Despite the national narrative, there had been only occasional displays of contempt between Durant and Westbrook before that incident, moments that easily could be written off as typical frustration: Durant flailing his arms when open and slapping his hands on his thighs in hissy-fit fashion when Westbrook's tunnel vision prevented him from passing the ball.