"I'm giving KD 75% of the blame, because if he just has a C-minus ball game" - Shannon Sharpe on how much blame Kevin Durant deserves for Game 1 loss against Celtics
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets are looking to regroup after their last-second loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference series.
Brooklyn looked to be on the verge of stealing home-court advantage. But the Nets came up short as Boston won 115-114 bucket by Jayson Tatum in the final second on Sunday.
One of the most fascinating developments of the game was the performance of Brooklyn forward Kevin Durant. Although Durant finished with 23 points, he struggled throughout the game. Durant shot 9 of 24 and turned the ball over six times. He's expected to bounce back and be one of the most dominant players in the series, but it was a strange performance from the all-time great.
On "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," analyst Shannon Sharpe said he believes 75% of the loss should be put on Durant's shoulders. While his teammate Kyrie Irving was sensational, scoring 39 points, Durant seemed to struggle when the Nets needed him down the stretch.
"I'm giving KD 75% of the blame, because if he just has a C-minus ball game, the Nets win this game," Sharpe said. "He missed easy shots yesterday, and he wasn't what he needed to be."
.@ShannonSharpe on how much blame KD should get in loss to the Celtics:
"I'm giving KD 75% of the blame, because if he just has a C- ball game, the Nets wins this game. He missed easy shots yesterday and he wasn't what he needed to be." https://t.co/SvQtMmKLIm
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets prepare for Game 2
While it was just the first game of an expected close series between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, it was still an eye-opening performance from Kevin Durant.
One of the most dangerous players in NBA playoffs history, Durant seemed to struggle with Boston's strong defense. It resulted in Durant making a game-high six turnovers, and Brooklyn now finds itself trying to regroup before a crucial Game 2 on Wednesday. He will be motivated to block out the noise with a bounce-back performance in Game 2.
Many expected the series to be one of the top first-round matchups, and Game 1 didn't disappoint.
“Kevin Durant got hit with defensive coverages I don’t think he’s ever seen before.”
— @RealSkipBayless on how much blame KD deserves for Nets loss https://t.co/6hUftb7B5X
Although the Celtics looked to be on the verge of opening up the game, the Nets continued to battle back and found themselves leading by one point heading into the final possession. That was until Marcus Smart delivered an assist to teammate Jayson Tatum for the go-ahead bucket as time expired.
With Boston leading 1-0 in the best-of-seven series, all eyes will be on Kevin Durant to see how he responds in Game 2.