NEW YORK – Kevin Durant was tired, not broken.
Discouraged, but still confident in his personal future with the Brooklyn Nets and his friendship with Kyrie Irving.
The Nets were swept away by the more cohesive and determined Boston Celtics, a result that is the first in Durant’s 14 seasons in the NBA. The same is the case with Irving, who missed much of the season due to not being vaccinated against COVID-19.
Irving told the media that he has no plans to leave Brooklyn, as he may withdraw from his contract and join a free agency this summer.
Durant did not hesitate when asked by Yahoo Sports after his press conference if he wanted to continue to have Irving as a teammate.
“Of course,” Durant said. “I would like him to play more. Life is much more important to me than that. I can’t be angry. I can’t end a friendship based on something like that. Our friendship is based on who we are as human beings. Basketball complements it. If we don’t get along on the basketball court, we can easily talk about it as friends. “
He shouted demonstratively “damn, no” when asked if the season had strained his friendship with Irving, but admitted that he had gone through some difficult times because Durant had to carry a heavy load. The Nets initially kicked Irving out, preventing him from playing on the road until exhaustion hit the team around New Year’s Eve.
“Yes, yes. He’s not around, he wants to be around,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. the good thing I could do was come to work and be myself and make sure the situation in the building was right for everyone. ”
The Brooklyn Nets striker Kevin Durant reacted during game 4 of the Nets’ first round playoff series against the Boston Celtics at the Barclays Center on Monday. The Celtics swept the Nets. (Brad Penner / USA TODAY Sports)
He knew he couldn’t force Irving to get vaccinated, so he said his frustration was limited to the immediate aftermath of the hard nights.
“I would be angry after a game if he wasn’t there,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “Being a triple team or whatever, like Kai would definitely help tonight, but [mad at] him separately? no.”
The story continues
There was only so much Durant could control, like James Harden, who went into training camp out of shape and kept a little behind the scenes, leading to his Philadelphia deal for Ben Simmons – who spent a year without playing.
As small as Harden looked, it seemed that he would at least help compared to Simmons’ inaction for the entire series.
“James? Is he leaving? I wish things were different, “Durant told Yahoo Sports. “To be crazy?” I wish it was different. I can’t say I was so emotional.
“They are old men. I can’t control how they feel. They may change their minds. Everyone receives this grace. Life is too amazing for me to be so upset. I understand that people want me to feel somehow. “
Durant is the reason Brooklyn is important in the NBA’s ecosystem. He understands this and knows that the notion is that he runs the organization, from Irving’s presence to the election of Steve Nash as head coach.
He counters this by putting a “franchise player” in aerial quotes, calling himself another part of the machine. Durant, LeBron James and former teammate Steph Curry are the biggest names in the sport. James’ influence over the Lakers was widely speculated, and the Lakers failed – not much different from the Nets, who performed less this season with speculation that Durant had a similar influence.
“I feel like it’s a story [media created]. “I don’t even think LeBron is doing that,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “He may have information or know some information. But he says [pointing left]That’s what you need to get. [Points right.] “You have to get this,” I don’t think it works that way.
“I was around Steph, he doesn’t work that way. Let people do their job. It is not my job to go beyond what they do. I’m just here to support. If they need me to send a message or call someone who can come, of course.
Durant said he helped recruit Goran Dragic when Dragic was bought and released from San Antonio in February.
“I’m not” This is the list of boys, “Durant said. “Sean [Marks, Nets general manager] it will hit me like, “Goran cares, what do you think?” [contacted] him. I’ve always been like this since I came here. I never had control. I do not want it.
“I don’t want to know because I’m a franchise player, I just want to know who my teammates are. It is disrespectful for me to come and try to undo what they are doing because of my status in the league. This is not fair to them. Everyone has a career. I just want to know.”
Durant turns 34 in September and will come out of a playoff performance that he would like to forget as the years get more and more valuable.
His best performance was 39 points in Game 4, but he scored just 38.5% in that series and had a hard time with Boston’s swarming defense, turning the ball over than in any playoffs of his career.
This is a long way from last summer, when his playoff performance won a level of recognition in a defeat that the victories in the Golden State finals were not from a decent segment of people.
As unfair as it may seem, this had to be the year in which a Durant-led team made its way to the top. And while he was playing by MVP standards before injuring his knee in January, that reputation was hit by the cleanup.
“It’s objective. Whoever plays well tonight is the best player,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “I never really believed it [stuff]. That’s not my mentality as a player. “
Kevin Durant of Brooklyn hugs and congratulates Jason Tatum of Boston after the Celtics swept the Nets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2022 (Elsa / Getty Images)
His elimination so early and finally can register this as a lost season, because no one knows how much time he still plays at this high level.
“I fill my years with how I get up and approach my craft. It’s not always about the outcome of the game, “Durant told Yahoo Sports. “I do this because I really do [enjoy] get up and enjoy going to work. It’s simple for me. Winning championships and averaging a certain number of points, All-Star Games, don’t get me wrong. I want all this. But if I don’t find out, I’m still excited to be in the NBA. “
All the principles recognize that the Eastern Conference is getting stronger, as evidenced by the presentation of the Celtics. Durant sometimes faced Jason Tatum – although Tatum benefited from the Celtics’ infrastructure and Durant’s defense did not – but he was still impressed.
“I told Jason when he was in high school that he was going to sell shoes, he was going to be an All-Star,” Durant said. “So he should do that?” I expect him to do that; it’s no surprise to me. I expect him to be a member of the Hall of Fame, 30,000 points, a three-time Olympian. I expect this from him because he is so talented. That’s how great he is. “
Durant is now a fan of the game, unlike the participant, a feeling that seems strange given his situation – but a feeling that can change, whether he admits that he has influence or not.
Add Comment