'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAj/2gAIAQEAAAAAn8H/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAECEAAAAD//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAEDEAAAAF//xAAhEAADAAAEBwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMABAUGEhUhI1Oh0f/aAAgBAQABPwDlaZbb163lN7XU0nXxqvCfZJGBt3VGAZcoCp6juL9x/8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAR/9oACAECAQE/AFy//8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgAB/9oACAEDAQE/ACcV/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kevin Durant’s no-show for the Brooklyn Nets has been the biggest surprise of the post-season so far. In three games, Durant has averaged just 22 points and shot a poor 36.5% from the field. The Nets have suffered as a result, falling prey to the Boston Celtics’ elite display of defense.
Kevin Durant, who has usually been dominant in the playoffs, has faced a double-team in almost every possession – giving him no room to get going. The supporting cast that includes Kyrie Irving have managed to keep the game close, but late in the fourth quarter, the Nets have choked in all three games.
While nobody anticipated Durant and the Nets to have this bad a start to the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Nick Wright of “First Things First” believes he saw it coming:
“Everything I told you about this fraudulent team is accurate. Their coaching is awful. They haven’t been swept yet. I didn’t see a sweep. But I have been dead on right about everything I’ve said about this team for two years.”
“Round 2 ceiling last year. Round 1 this year. Kevin Durant, ‘The Best Player Alive,’ has lost seven of his last eight playoff games."
No doubt the Celtics have played some of the best defense in this series, but a player of Kevin Durant’s caliber is expected to overcome and deliver. He’s not considered one of the greatest shooters in the game for no reason.
To draw a comparison with Durant, Nick Wright went on to give his take on how Giannis Antetokounmpo would fare against this Celtics team:
“You think Giannis is gonna be having 16-point repeated playoff games against this ‘greatest defense ever’?”
The winner of the Nets-Celtics series will face either the Milwaukee Bucks or the Chicago Bulls in the next round – with the Bucks holding a 3-1 series lead. Giannis finding a way to counter the Celtics’ defense will be crucial to determine whether it is the Celtics’ defense that has been a roadblock or that Kevin Durant has just not shown-up.
Kevin Durant and the New York Nets’ inability to close-out games
The Celtics have managed to beat the star-studded Brooklyn Nets in three games so far, but in all those games the margins have been really close. In fact, the Nets gave up leads in the fourth period because they were unable to make the important shots. This gave the Celtics room to get ahead.
Nick Wright, then, highlighted that the Nets’ performances in the three games made the series look like a blowout, but the games were pretty close. Wright called out Kevin Durant for not even trying, by saying:
“Close the game!! Do something. KD took one shot in the fourth quarter of Game 3 – it was a dunk 20 seconds into the quarter. Took no jumpshots.”
“Like hey, heavy is the head that wears the Twitter crown and Kevin Durant has been wearing that one for years. You got to produce, man. You can’t shoot 36% for a series – it’s the worst series of his career.”
Being the best player on the team, it’s a no-brainer that your opponent is going to have a plan to stop you. Durant should have come prepared for something like this, but in turn, it looks like he’s shying away. His field goal attempts have dropped with each game, and in Game 3, he shot the ball only eleven times. A lot has to change in terms of his mentality going into Game 4 and the rest of the series if they’re able to win.
