The Brooklyn Nets are in in 0-1 hole against the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.
This comes on the heels of a Jayson Tatum game-winner where the two teams went back and forth until the time expired. While Kyrie Irving put on a masterful performance, Kevin Durant struggled with his shot all game. The Celtics don’t seem to think that will happen two games in a row, and forward Grant Williams is counting on KD to have a massive game in the second game in Boston.
Speaking before the April 20 matchup, Williams had nothing but praise for Durant, but also said the Celtics are going to be ready for him.
Durant Sent a Message
GettyKevin Durant drives against Jayson Tatum.
The Boston Celtics big man knows exactly what type of player Durant is, and he knows how difficult it is to slow him down.
“KD one of the best players in terms of just in game in history,” Williams said. “So we have to do a phenomenal job of staying into him, because everything has to be tough. Not only him walking up and down the court, but him trying to just get a cup of water on the sidelines. If you can be in his face, some way somehow, you’ve got to take him off his rhythm, take him out of his game.”
He goes on to say that Durant always bounces back, and that’s why the Celtics are expecting him to come out of the gates strong and have a big game.
GettyKevin Durant is predicted to have a huge game.
“And he’s going to be aggressive,” he continued. “We all know Kevin Durant. We all know the fact that after a loss he averages, what, 40 points a game. So we know he’s going to come out being aggressive in Game 2, and we know that we have to be prepared not only to withhold that but also understand that we can’t let tough shots that he hits affect us mentally going on the other end, on defense.”
If Irving and Durant are both at the top of their game, the Nets can be a very difficult team to stop, but it’s not always a guarantee that’ll be the case.
Durant was played very physically in the loss to Boston, and it’s expected the Celtics will hit him with a similar defense in Game 2 in order to knock him off his game. If the refs continue to let it happen, the Nets are going to have to look for other ways to get Durant going.
How Do The Nets Bounce Back?
GettyKyrie Irving will have to keep it up.
If the Nets want to get things evened up before heading back to Brooklyn, they are going to need both Irving and Durant to have strong games.
Some of the role players like Bruce Brown, Andre Drummond and Seth Curry are going to have to chip in because the team can’t just rely on their stars to beat a team like Boston.
The Celtics have been on fire since Christmas, and they have turned into one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA led by head coach Ime Udoka. The Nets certainly have their work cut out for them if they want to win this series.
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Nets’ Kevin Durant Issued Strong Message from Breakout Celtic Ahead of Game 2