Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant has found himself in this position before. Durant will be participating in his 12th postseason in 15 seasons when he steps onto the court Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers. The experienced superstar knows that the playoffs will require a different mindset compared to the regular season.
In a clip shared by Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Durant was asked about when it comes to the style of the game, what does he believe changes the most in the postseason. Durant said that despite the 2022-23 regular season being high paced, he believes the flow of games in the playoffs slow down.
“I think it slows down a bit,” Durant said. “Even the play-in game last night, I know it went to overtime but I felt like that was a slower-paced game compared to the 140s, 130s you be seeing in the regular season. Even some of that first game in Atlanta too slowed down, physical game.
Durant continued to point out that the postseason requires a different mentality compared to the regular season. While teams might look to stick to their playbook throughout the year, Durant believes that the playoffs require players to “knuckle down and guard up.”
“That’s really what playoffs is. A lot of the stuff, the [signature] plays you ran through the regular season, might not be there. Just got to knuckle down and guard up and play strong on offense and see what happens.”
“You got to knuckle down and guard up.”
Kevin Durant on #NBAPlayoffs basketball. #Suns
Phoenix Looking to Accomplish Rare Feat With NBA Title
The Suns are preparing for their opening round playoff series against the Clippers. Game 1 is set to take place on Sunday, April 16. Despite being the fourth seed in the Western Conference, Phoenix ranks third when it comes to betting odds (+480) to win the NBA championship, via FanDuel.
While some betting sites have placed the Suns as the top title contender in the Western Conference, other sites haven’t necessarily agreed. FiveThirtyEight.com has given the Suns a 3% chance of winning the NBA Finals.
Phoenix is attempting to accomplish a rare feat with their pursuit of an NBA championship. No team has captured an NBA title after winning less than 50 games in an 82-game season since the 1994-95 Houston Rockets. That same Rockets team finished the regular season with a 47-35 record, earning the sixth seed.
The difference for the Suns is the mid-season acquisition of Durant, who has made Phoenix as dangerous as any opposing team. Despite only playing in eight games with his new teammates, Phoenix has posted a perfect 8-0 record. The team has posted an offensive rating of 121.0 in those eight games, which would rank highest in the NBA over the Sacramento Kings (120.7). With a limited sample size, the Suns will hope that they can continue that type of production with a healthy starting lineup.
Suns Players Emphasize Being on Same Page
Phoenix has looked dominant when Durant has been on the court. But a limited sample has questioned if there’s been enough time for the team to develop chemistry.
While the roster features veteran stars such as Devin Booker and Chris Paul, teams always take time to figure out how to play alongside each other. In a clip shared by Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Durant was asked if the chemistry angle is “overrated” heading into the playoffs.
“Chemistry matters. Being on the same page with your team matters. In a perfect world, I would’ve played more than eight games with this team, but I just got to rest on me playing 1,000 games in the NBA.”
After being acquired in a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, Durant made his Suns debut on March 1st. Phoenix would go on to win the next three games, before an ankle injury saw Durant miss Phoenix’s next ten games. Durant wasn’t the only one to reiterate that the team is looking to get on the same page. Veteran Josh Okogie also expressed that Phoenix has been using the extra time to make sure the team doesn’t have any “lapses” in the postseason.
“Obviously our level of preparation to the next level. Because we have so many days to prepare. Just make sure everybody is on the same page so we don’t have any mental lapses in the games,” Okogie said via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
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Suns Superstar Kevin Durant Sends Message on Playoff Mentality