cleared to return. The line had yet another setback

Oklahoma City was left stunned and is in a bit of a panic after the departure of free agent and?Thunder?star Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors, longtime mayor Mick Cornett told ESPN Radios Capital Games podcast.Were stunned, said Cornett, who has been the mayor of Oklahoma City since 2004 and is a former sports reporter in the city. We had no history. Kevin was our Ernie Banks and Michael Jordan. Hes the history. ... Weve been spurned by someone we cared deeply about. Thats the emotional aspect of it.Durant, the 2007 national player of the year after one season at Texas, was selected No. 2 overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, who then moved to Oklahoma City in 2008.Durant was the NBA Rookie of the Year and went on to be NBA MVP in 2014. He also was a seven-time All-Star selection, Olympic gold medalist (2012) and led the Thunder to the NBA Finals in 2012.In 2013, he donated $1 million to the American Red Cross after a devastating tornado in Moore, Oklahoma.On Monday, Durant announced he was leaving for the Golden State Warriors, who erased a 3-1 deficit to beat the Thunder in the Western Conference finals. Durant, a free agent, reportedly will sign a two-year, $54.3 million deal with a player option after the first season.[Durant] took on being an almost incredible figure in the city, Cornett said. If you said youre from Oklahoma City, theyre likely to say Kevin Durant or theyre likely to say OKC Thunder. He put us on the map. Its not all him -- (owner) Clay Bennett and (GM) Sam Presti have orchestrated an incredible franchise here -- but he was the face of the franchise both here locally and worldwide.Cornett said it was hard to put into numbers the financial impact that Durant had on the city.He meant so much in ways its impossible to quantify, Cornett said. If you were a CEO in OKC and you were hiring from the East or West Coast 10 years ago, you might have said Oklahoma City isnt culturally relevant.But Kevin is a part of the success story for OKC. Kevin was a part of the renaissance. This city has come so far, so fast -- probably further, faster than any city in American history. Kevin was right there along with us. Theres a slight sense of panic.Cornett heaped praise on Durant, but he did say the perception of the superstar has been tainted in the city.His image has changed drastically than it was last week because of his decision to join a team of superstars in the NBA, Cornett said. You cant get that back. From the basketball side of it, I dont believe Kevin is going to have the impact on the Warriors that he did on the Thunder. The Thunder could have won next years championship. But I never got the sense -- and I cant imagine he fooled us for nine years -- that he wanted to leave Oklahoma City.Cornett made an impassioned plea for fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook to stay. Westbrook can be a free agent in 2017.If the Thunder build a team around Russell Westbrook, they could easily do so, Cornett said. But Russell has to buy into that. I dont know if Russell is interested in being the figurehead of the franchise. If Russell were to choose to stay in Oklahoma City -- and in the wake of Kevins departure -- he would be a larger icon than ever before.Cornett is confident the Thunder can rebound without Durant.I really do put a lot of trust in Clay Bennett and Sam Presti, Cornett said. They want to be good every year and for the long term. The idea that they would trade their best players for draft picks and try to rebuild and get in the lottery ... thats never been the strategy that theyve communicated [to me]. They want to compete here and they should. John Stones England Jersey . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Eric Dier Jersey . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. http://www.englandsoccerpro.com/Raheem-Sterling-England-Jersey/ . But when it comes to determining if Raymond will find a place on the Leafs roster when training camp concludes in a week, well, that decision will ultimately fall to the head coach. Gary Cahill England Jersey . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. Kieran Trippier England Jersey . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. DETROIT -- ?? Darius Slay dropped into coverage as if he was going to cover a deep route and pounced on an opportunity to help the Lions come back to win another game.Slay intercepted Sam Bradfords pass from the left hash across the field to help send the Lions into sole possession of first place in the NFC North.Slay returned the interception 13 yards with 30 seconds left to set up Matt Praters 40-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Lions to a 16-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday.Minnesota could have stuck with the conservative approach it took on offense for much of the game and played for overtime on its last drive, but coach Mike Zimmer allowed Bradford to pass and Slay made him regret it.I knew they were going to throw, Slay said. They didnt want overtime. They know what happened last time.Earlier this month, Prater made a game-tying 58-yard field goal at the end of regulation at Minnesota and the Lions won in overtime.Slay, a standout cornerback, who calls himself Big Play Slay, fooled Bradford by coming up and stepping in front of Adam Thielen to pick off the pass.I wish I could have seen him fall off the outside route and come back in, Bradford said.The Lions (7-4) have won six of seven, including two against Minnesota this month and four of the wins have come on Praters field goals, despite trailing in the fourth quarter of every game this season.Slay sealed the first victory during the successful stretch with an interception late in the game on Oct. 9 against Philadelphia.Hes as good as they come in those situations, Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. Hes kind of got a knack for it. Hes a bit of a riverboat gambler.Detroit extended its NFL record of having its first 11 games decided by seven or fewer points.They come from behind every week, so when we took the lead in the fourth quarter, we knew the game wasnt over, Minnesota tight end Kyle Rudolph said. We had to keep playing, but we didnt make enough plays.The Vikings (6-5) have lost five of six, plummeting out of first place after surging to the top oof the division by winning their first five games.ddddddddddddLOSING THE LEAD(S)Forbath put the Vikings ahead for the first time, giving them a 13-10 lead early in the fourth on a 28-yard field goal after Cordarrelle Patterson gained 22 yards on a reverse .The Lions moved a step closer toward winning a division title for the first time since 1993 by breaking a tie atop the NFC North with Minnesota.If both teams finish the regular season tied atop the division, Detroit would win the tiebreaker.If they were handing out trophies the day after this win, Id feel a little bit different, Caldwell said. It means nothing right now, right? We havent done anything.THREE-AND-OUTMinnesota didnt convert a third down until Bradford connected with Patterson late in the third quarter and finished 2 of 10 on third down.We werent good enough on third downs offensively, Zimmer said. We cant continue to shoot ourselves in the foot with some of those penalties and negative plays.INJURY REPORTVikings: A banged-up offensive line took a hit in the first half when center Joe Berger was evaluated for a concussion, and wasnt cleared to return. The line had yet another setback midway through the fourth when tackle Jeremiah Sirles had to be helped off the field.Every time we get some chemistry going on the line, we lose someone else, Rudolph said.Minnesota started the game without receiver Stefon Diggs (knee), cornerback Terence Newman (neck) and punt returner Marcus Sherels (rib, ankle).Lions: Linebacker DeAndre Levy was inactive, but appears to be closer to coming back from a knee injury that has kept him out since Week 1.UP NEXTVikings: In a week, Minnesota will host the NFC-leading Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night.Lions: Detroit gets an extended break before playing Dec. 4 at New Orleans.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Larry Lage on Twitter at www.twitter.com/larrylage ' ' '