In the hard during Game 1, Kevin Durant had every intention of settling his accounts with the Boston defense in the second meeting. We were expecting him at the cleat and we couldn’t imagine a new match at 9/24 in shooting. Result, he ended up at… 4/17 and completely suffocated by the Celtics. Question, when was the last time we saw KD struggle so much two games in a row?
“I have never seen a team defend so well on KD”. If there is one sentence that sums up the ordeal experienced by Kevin Durant this Wednesday evening in Game 2 of the series between Boston and Brooklyn, it is the one uttered by commentator and former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy. We had already zoomed in on the game plan of the Celtics defense after the first meeting, at the end of which the Slim Reaper had finished at 9/24 in shooting and with six losses of the ball. There, we were treated to a remake. While we were waiting for a real answer from Kevin “You Know Who I Am” Durant, it was the Beantown watchdogs who raised their voices again to stifle the best scorer in the basketball world. Numbers ? They hurt a lot. Because if KD certainly finished as the game’s top scorer with 27 points, 18 of them were scored on the free throw line. It was the only comfort zone for Durant because everywhere else was hell for him: 4/17 shooting, including a terrible 0/10 in the second half (!!!) and 6 bullet losses. If you were to find a symbol of the Nets’ failed second half (59-42 for Boston, ten-point advantage that flies away), it’s there. Tell yourself that we lived an evening during which KD was compared to Marvin Bagley so much he was picking up. And it was even worse in the last minutes. Because while Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were upping their game at the best time, Easy Money Sniper simply didn’t see the light of day.
Truly a KD next to his pumps. Magnificently defended by Boston, no complaints about that Udoka is showing a taf of sick preparation on Durant.
But missed throws, silly fouls and backdoors on the rebound? Nah, sorry KD isn’t there.
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) April 21, 2022
We can obviously only underline the collective work of the Boston defense to stifle Kevin Durant at the start of the series. The pressure and physical impact of the Celtics were so strong that night that KD’s mom complained to the referees like when Kevin was 13. Yeah, it’s never nice to see your son being abused like that by a bunch of rabid guys who only think about ruining Mister Durant’s life. No easy basket, only two points in the racket, maximum intensity in defense on the man, authoritative help that arrives at just the right time… nah frankly, the anti-KD plan set up by Ime Udoka is formidable in its effectiveness. But when we talk about a coach in a series of Playoffs, impossible not to look at the bench opposite. Hello Steve Nash, should think about moving. Because it’s all well and good to have two of the best scorers in the world on your team, you don’t win a playoff match against a defense as solid as Boston’s by snapping your fingers. We didn’t see a system to release Durant when he was in trouble and physically tired by the intensity of the opposing defense, Kyrie Irving was locked down by Al Horford in one-on-one (it’s not a joke ) and was otherwise invisible at the end of the match (only attempted a shot in the last five minutes), in short the duo of superstars from Brooklyn were eaten by the green giants without Nash finding the slightest solution to break the opposing momentum.
“I’ve got two or three guys who kick wherever I go. It’s the law of the Playoffs. I see several guys coming as soon as I get the ball. […] They do a good job of limiting my scoring, my ability to take shots. There are two or three players who come to challenge, there is always someone in the racket when I enter, there are a few duels. So they are doing a good job, it’s up to me to find the solution. »
– Kevin Durant, after Game 2
Incredible but true, Kevin Durant beat the Nets in this Game 2, a Game 2 that Brooklyn could have (should?) have won under the impetus of contributions from role players like Bruce Brown, Goran Dragic and Seth Curry. KD no longer has a choice, he must absolutely respond to the physical impact of Boston to show who is the boss at Barclays Center. And with that, Kyrie Irving will also have to seriously step-up after his slammed performance tonight (10 points at 4/13 shooting, 1/7 in the second half). It’s the Nets’ season that depends on it.
Kevin Durant vs Boston (2 matchs).
GAME 1 :
9/24 shooting
1/5 three point
6 lost balloons
23 pointsGAME 2 :
4/17 shooting
1/2 to three points
6 lost balloons
27 pointsHe COMPLETELY misses his start to the series, Boston suffocates him as we have rarely seen with KD.
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) April 21, 2022
Kevin Durant’s mom was going OFF on the official during the 4th quarter of Nets-Celtics ????pic.twitter.com/rwxoX9acLn
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 21, 2022