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Although the Brooklyn Nets came up short against the Dallas Mavericks in the final moments of the game, Nets superstar Kevin Durant maintained a positive outlook as he spoke about his takeaways from the game.
Following the 111-113 loss against the Mavericks, Durant addressed his performance for the game at the post-game press conference.
When asked whether he viewed the double-team defensive scheme as a sign of respect from the Dallas coaching staff, Durant said:
"Of course. Yes. That shows me that the level of respect is high. You know, for them to forget about their schemes as a team and forget about what they've been working on most of the year for them to do that.
Kevin Durant also shared a hilarious excerpt from his trash-talk with Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd. He said:
"I asked Jason Kidd - 'Well s**t, you pay Dorian Finney-Smith all that money, is he a defender or you gonna rely on this [defense] for these next 4 years on him?'"
While this didn't generate the response that Durant desired, he continued to say:
"It was a smart smart strategy. Got to tip my hat to him. They executed it. But late in the game they did a good job of mixing it up. Sometimes I was driving and I had a lane and I thought there was going to be more help so I rushed the shot. They did a good job. I respect it."
Recording 23 points on 8-20 shooting, Kevin Durant had his work cut out for him considering the ongoing double-team and trap defenses set up to stop him.
While the Nets enjoyed a 12-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, a major turnaround performance by Dallas saw them emerge as the winners.
With Spencer Dinwiddie knocking down a game-winning three-pointer with less than a second on the clock, the game ended with Brooklyn's loss in dramatic fashion.
Can Kevin Durant lead the Brooklyn Nets to a solid playoff showing?
While the loss against the Dallas Mavericks is unfortunate, it still has a massive impact on the Brooklyn Nets' standings. Currently in the eighth spot, the Nets are now 3.5 games behind the seventh-seeded Toronto Raptors.
With only a game separating them from the ninth-seeded Charlotte Hornets, the Nets need every win they can get in order to hold onto their spot.
With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both playing some brilliant basketball at this point in time, the Nets seem to be in a good position.
However, the tough part of putting wins together will come when playing at home. The Nets will play eight of their next 12 games at home. Three of those games are against teams that are in a solid playoff position.
While their 14-19 home record this season rests heavily on their shoulders, Brooklyn will have to find an answer and stay afloat in the final stretch of the regular-season.
With Kyrie Irving still out of the rotation for home games, the Nets will need their lone superstar to step up and lead the side to victory.
Guess the Lakers players!
