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Last postseason, Kevin Durant put on an incredible showing for the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets. Some of his best performances came during a grueling seven-game slugfest in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Since Kyrie Irving and James Harden were both injured, all the responsibility was put on Durant's shoulders. When the series reached Game 7, Durant left it all on the court.
In a rare feat, Durant played every minute. Down two points in the closing seconds, he had the ball in his hands and an opportunity to win the game and series.
After hitting a turnaround jumper over P.J. Tucker, many thought Durant had just shocked the world with an all-time game-winning shot. Upon further review, it was determined that his foot was on the 3-point line, and the shot only counted for two points. This sent the game into overtime, with Milwaukee winning 115-111.
During a recent interview with JJ Redick, Durant admitted that he knew his foot was on the line in the moment:
"Yeah, I knew it was. It's weird that you can feel that type of stuff. As soon as I stepped on it I was like, 'Damn.'"
In 53 minutes in Game 7, Durant posted a monster stat line of 48 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Kevin Durant may have a shot at redemption
As the final days of the regular season approach, the playoff picture is taking shape. While the seedings are far from set in the Eastern Conference, the 10 teams that will compete in the postseason are.
Due to a 3-17 swoon triggered by Kevin Durant's January knee injury, the Nets (41-38) will be in the play-in tournament.
If they are able to hold off the Atlanta Hawks (41-38) and Charlotte Hornets (40-39) to finish seventh or eighth, Brooklyn will be in the Seven-Eight Game. Then, if the Nets were to win the Seven-Eight game against the Cleveland Cavaliers (43-37), Durant could possibly get a shot at redemption. (The loser of the Seven-Eight Game would play the winner of the Nine-Ten Game for the No. 8 seed.)
Securing the seventh seed could put the Nets on the same side of the bracket as the Milwaukee Bucks (49-30).
Milwaukee is in a three-team scrum with the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, who all have the same record with three games remaining, for seeds 2-4.
If the Bucks finish second, they'd meet the No. 7 seed in the first round. If they finish third, they'd face the No. 6 seed in the first round. If they advance, they'd meet the winner of a first-round matchup between No. 7 and No. 2 in the semifinals.
But if they finish fourth, the Bucks will be on the other side of the bracket. Brooklyn would have to lose the Seven-Eight Game but win the second play-in game or fight through the Nine-Ten Game to have a first-round matchup with Milwaukee.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Durant have been two of the league's best players this season. A postseason faceoff would be must-watch television. The teams squared off Thursday with the Bucks winning in an overtime thriller 120-119.
Seeing how close they were last season, Durant surely wants his chance at redemption. With Kyrie Irving available to play this time around, the Nets will have extra firepower they didn't have this time last year.
Guess the Lakers players!
