Two years ago, the Thunder's Kevin Durant tweeted that Kawhi Leonard was a good player who got a lot of help from the San Antonio Spurs' system.

Durant recognizes the Leonard Oklahoma City is about to square off against is much more than good. In fact, Durant is so impressed that he checks how Leonard performs each game.

"He's grown so much," Durant said. "He's probably the best in the league at shooting the mid-range [jumper] off the dribble. He posts up, dribbles, can shoot the three, catch and shoot. Their team, their system, their continuity and how they move allows him to get free a lot of times and utilizes his game."

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Durant's respect for Leonard has also grown over the years.

After Leonard was chosen the NBA finals MVP in 2014, Durant said on Twitter he would take Indiana's Paul George over Leonard, and that Leonard was "doing work like this because of the system."

Durant later clarified, saying he meant no disrespect to Leonard, he simply liked George better. Last month, Durant, unprompted, said Leonard is not a "system player."

On Saturday, Durant and Leonard will renew acquaintances in Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals in San Antonio.

Their individual matchup will be worth keeping an eye on.

Durant is a four-time scoring champion who averaged 28.2 points and a career-high 8.2 rebounds per game this season. Leonard is the two-time reigning defensive player of the year who was a first-time all-star this season and led the Spurs in scoring.

Leonard knows his job will be difficult because of Durant's versatility.

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"Being able to do everything on the floor, shoot, get in the paint, post, create shots for his teammates," Leonard said of Durant's skills. "Just active the whole game."

Leonard has also become more of an offensive threat. His scoring average has increased from 12.8 points per game in 2013-14, to 16.5 last season, to 21.2 this season. He shot a career-high 44.3 per cent from 3-point range on a career-high 291 attempts this season.

The Thunder and the Spurs have some history. The Thunder beat the Spurs 4-2 in the Western Conference finals in 2011-12, then lost to Miami in the NBA finals. The Spurs beat the Thunder 4-2 in the 2013-14 Western Conference finals, and San Antonio beat Miami for the NBA title. "We've had some battles," Durant said. "And there were a few battles where the finals was on the line. Each team really respects each other and definitely wants to compete."

As for the coaching matchup, Gregg Popovich is a five-time NBA champion and the league's most successful active coach. Oklahoma City's Billy Donovan just won the first playoff series of his career in his first year in the league. Donovan doesn't look at it as a one-on-one matchup, but he said he learns every time he studies Popovich's teams. "You watch San Antonio and Pop's teams play, there's a lot of respect and admiration for the way their team plays," Donovan said.

The Associated Press