Getty Devin Booker #1 and Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns.
The Phoenix Suns found themselves battling to pull off a Game 1 win at home against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, April 16. With both teams exchanging blows in the fourth quarter, it seemed to be a perfect opportunity for superstar Kevin Durant to take over.
That’s when the Clippers turned up their defensive effort in crunch time before eventually taking Game 1 by a final score of 115-110. Durant would finish with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists on 7-of-15 shooting. The most notable development was that Durant would attempt just one field goal attempt in the final 6 minutes.
Analyst Colin Cowherd didn’t hold back his thoughts when it came to the Game 1 performance of the Suns. Appearing on The Herd, Cowherd expressed that a player of Durant’s caliber cannot have just one shot down the stretch. Cowherd pointed out that KD would finish with less field goal attempts than big man Deandre Ayton.
“But KD had fewer shots in this game than Deandre Ayton. That can never happen again. And he also, in the last six-and-a-half minutes of the game, had one shot. … Get him shots.”
Cowherd continued to emphasize that he believes that the Suns simply weren’t ready to play due to the amount of time off. Phoenix and the Clippers had a week off from their last regular season game, one in which the Suns starters did not play in. Despite his comments, Cowherd remained confident in the Suns. “It happens,” Cowherd said.
“I didn’t think the Suns were ready to play. They took too much time off. KD wasn’t playing the last couple of regular season games. They just had too much time off, they got buried early, it happens.”
“You cannot allow that to happen… Get him shots.”
— @ColinCowherd on Kevin Durant taking just one shot in final 6 minutes
Jay Williams on Kevin Durant: ‘This Can’t Be a Passive KD’
The Suns loss to the Clippers not only would find them down 1-0 in their Western Conference playoff series. It would also mark the first loss the team has had with Durant in the starting lineup.
A 13-time All-Star and four-time scoring champion, Durant has been considered one of the most talented offensive players in the history of the NBA. Despite an impressive statistical night, it’s clear that Durant should have gotten more opportunities to score with the Suns battling to pull off a win.
Former NBA veteran and ESPN analyst Jay Williams was adamant about Durant being more aggressive for the Suns moving forward. Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up, Williams praised Durant as “one of the greatest scorers the game of basketball has ever seen.” That was until Williams emphatically stated that KD “can’t be passive.”
“We talk about Kevin Durant being one of the greatest scorers the game of basketball has ever seen. He did not take a shot in the last five minutes of a game…This can’t be a passive KD. He needs to be aggressive and demand the ball because he’s the greatest player on the court.”
“We talk about Kevin Durant being one the greatest scorers the game of basketball has ever seen. … This can’t be a passive KD.”
—@RealJayWilliams on Durant not attempting a shot in clutch time
Durant Not Ready to Overreact After Game 1 Loss
It was a disappointing result for Durant and the Suns after losing Game 1 against the Clippers. Los Angeles has now secured home court advantage moving forward. The Suns will now prepare to even up the series as Game 2 is set for Tuesday, April 18.
The Suns have plenty of veterans who understand the grueling grind of the playoffs. Players such as Chris Paul and Devin Booker have had their fair share of playoff experience going back to Phoenix’s NBA Finals run of 2021. While it wasn’t the result the Suns hoped for, it’s clear that Phoenix isn’t ready to hit the panic button just yet.
Speaking to the media during his postgame press conference, Durant was asked about the idea of not overreacting to a Game 1 loss. “We just got to go back to the drawing board,” Durant said.
“It’s a long series. We know that anything can happen in the playoffs, so we’re guaranteed to play another game. We just got to go back to the drawing board.”