"Easy to point fingers and blame our season on other things" - Kevin Durant says no to excuses, says Brooklyn Nets need to put their heads down and go to work
With the loss against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, the Brooklyn Nets have now fallen sub .500 for the season. Star forward Kevin Durant is clearly unhappy with the situation.
The Nets have lost six of their last seven games and have a horrifying 5-13 record against the top eight teams in the league. If the playoffs start tomorrow, it appears that a team like Boston could handle the Nets in a seven-game series.
It is no secret that the Brooklyn Nets, who were once considered title contenders, need to make some changes. Kevin Durant dropped 37 points but his efforts were in vain as the Celtics' Jayson Tatum exploded for a 54-piece in his home arena. The Nets were abysmal on the defensive end of the floor down the stretch, allowing Boston to score 37 points in the fourth quarter.
When asked about the state of the team in the postgame press conference, Durant replied:
"Just didn't win, and I know that sucks cause we just under .500 but can't complain, worry, and be concerned that's not gonna do nothing for us. We just gotta put our heads down and go to work. Just keep coming into work everyday and giving it our all. And that's what we're going to do."
The Brooklyn Nets have now slid to the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference with the 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks breathing down their neck. They share a 32-33 record with the Charlotte Hornets but are down 0-1 in the head-to-head matchup.
The Nets have 17 games left and of those only seven are away games in which Kyrie Irving can play. The burden of winning games is now on Kevin Durant's shoulder to ensure they don't slip further in the standings.
"Just didn't win, and I know that sucks cause we just under .500 but can't complain, worry, and be concerned that's not gonna do nothing for us. We just gotta put our heads down and go to work."
-Kevin Durant on the difficult standings situation the #Nets find themselves in now https://t.co/9OrjqM5DkQ
Kevin Durant crossed the 25,000-mark in career points in the NBA, but he didn't seem happy with the achievement as the loss consumed him. This was their fourth straight loss and second with Durant back in the lineup. He dropped 30+ points in both the outings but the role players didn't answer the bell when the game got close down the stretch.
Nets aren't just in the play-in tournament, they might have to win 2 play-in games to make the playoffs. Nets in a 3-way tie right now for the 8-thru-10 seeds. Brooklyn is 6-19 since Jan. 12, the last time KD, Kyrie, and Harden played together — NBA's 3rd-worst record since then. https://t.co/eLtpp9Ibfn
Even if Ben Simmons comes back after the March 10th matchup against Philadelphia, it doesn't appear like it would make any difference. The Nets don't look like they are on the right path. They will have to figure out an entirely new lineup and rotation which will not hamper their progress further.
Kevin Durant compliments Jayson Tatum after a tough loss to the Boston Celtics
The game was a duel of two superstars as Kevin Durant went toe-to-toe with Jayson Tatum. Tatum felt a hot hand in the third quarter and started sinking threes. He finished with 54 points on 16-30 (53%) shooting from the field including 8-15 (53%) from beyond the arc. Durant couldn't help but tip his hat to the young superstar and complement his game. He said:
"He made some tough shots and three point shots over us... he's an elite shot maker."
Kevin Durant on Jayson Tatum: "He made some tough shots and three point shots over us... he's an elite shot maker." https://t.co/KEkhTXQS7F
Jayson Tatum, at just 24 years old, has already tied Larry Bird for the most 50-point games in Boston Celtics history (4). He also owns two of the top four highest-scoring games in franchise history with 60 and 54 points.
Nobody could deny that Jayson Tatum took over the game.
"Jayson Tatum" - Kyrie Irving when asked what made the difference in the game.