Getty Kevin Durant and the Nets will not be playing the Knicks on Christmas.
Coming into the year, the New York Knicks weren’t expected to be this good, and the Brooklyn Nets weren’t supposed to stumble out of the gate.
Before the season kicked off, the Nets weren’t even sure of what their roster would look like with Kevin Durant’s trade request and Kyrie Irving’s uncertainty. In the end, Durant pulled back the request, but the Nets got off to a slow start and Irving was suspended for eight games.
Perhaps because of the uncertainty, the Nets weren’t scheduled to have a Christmas game, which is strange for a team that boasts the likes of Ben Simmons, Durant and Irving. Durant told media he believed a matchup with the Knicks, who will be facing off against the Philadelphia 76ers, would’ve been ideal but he understands it might be his fault in the end.
Is Durant to Blame?
“Knicks-Nets would’ve been a perfect matchup on Christmas, hopefully we can get that going forward. I probably am responsible for us not playing on Christmas because of what went on this summer.”
Kevin Durant on the Nets not having a Christmas Day game this year:
The Nets currently hold the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference while the Knicks are sitting at 6th after seeing the Toronto Raptors snap their eight game winning streak, but both teams are playing very good basketball at the moment.
That’s the best thing you can ask for going in Christmas, and Durant expressed a bit of remorse for not getting the chance at showing off the cross-town rivalry on the big stage.
“Knicks-Nets would’ve been great for a Christmas Day matchup,” Durant told reporters. “The way the Knicks are playing, the way [the Nets] are playing right now, I felt like that would’ve been a perfect matchup on Christmas. Hopefully we can get that going forward.”
The Nets do play on December 26, so they end up missing Christmas by a day, but that game is against the Cleveland Cavaliers, so it should be a good one. Durant feels his trade request drama caused the matchup with the Knicks to not happen.
“I probably am responsible for us not playing on Christmas because of what went on this summer. But hey, it is what it is.”
Knicks Have a Tough Game
When the schedule was announced, there were a lot of question marks about the Knicks appearing on Christmas, even with Jalen Brunson on the roster.
Looking back at it, it was a fair criticism to have as the Knicks didn’t even sniff the playoffs last year. Fast forward to now and it looks like a very good decision by the schedule makers as the Knicks are one of the hottest teams in the league going into Christmas.
The Sixers had their share of struggles to start the year, and that was an even bigger problem with James Harden’s injury that kept him out for a good chunk of the season.
Tyrese Maxey is out with a foot injury and doesn’t sound like he’ll be suiting up against the Knicks.
As for the Knicks, Quentin Grimes is banged up and it’s not yet known if he’ll be there for the game either. No matter what happens, it should end up being a good game, and if New York is able to secure a victory over one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, it would be a good Christmas gift to all Knicks fans.