"He is just so unaffected by any defender"- Blake Griffin opens up on the offensive prowess of Brooklyn Nets teammate Kevin Durant
Blake Griffin was an integral part of the Brooklyn Nets team last year. The team crashed out in the conference semis last year, but Nets star Kevin Durant displayed a few spectacular performances in their playoff run. Playing without Kyrie Irving and an unfit James Harden, Durant powered the Nets to a 7th game, where he overstepped the 3-point line to deny the Brooklyn Nets a win in regular time. After getting gassed out in overtime, they lost the game 115-111 to lose the series 4-3 to the Bucks.
In a recent interview with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter on 'The Old Man and the Three' show, Blake Griffin opened up on how terrific it was to play alongside Kevin Durant. The Brooklyn Nets ran through the Bucks in the first two games, however, when Kyrie Irving injured his ankle in the fourth game of the series, things began slipping away from them. Speaking about the injuries faced by the Nets team during the playoffs, Griffin said:
"I mean, we could have beaten Milwaukee with Kai [Kyrie Irving]. When Kai went out, you know it just like changes your whole team. And James came back, he really gutted it out for three games, but I mean everybody could see he wasn't really himself."
Milwaukee leveled the series with two stunning wins at the Fiserv Forum Arena. But Kevin Durant stepped up for the Brooklyn Nets in Game 5. He scored 49 points in the game to lead them to a 114-108 win. While talking about Kevin Durant's performance in the series, Griffin said:
"Honestly he does stuff all the time, where you're just like, what? The stuff that's most impressive to me is like the drible-drible, pull-up, mid-range where the hand is in his face. It's not really like the spin moves or the tough shots, that's all tough, but he is just so unaffected by any defender, I have never seen a player be less affected by somebody than Kevin Durant."
Brooklyn Nets are once again a stacked team this year
The Brooklyn Nets had one of the best teams in the NBA last year. However, injuries to their star players derailed their campaign. But the resurgent Nets have once again proven their case for the championship with some big recruitments this offseason.
The addition of players like LaMarcus Aldrige, Patty Mills and Paul Millsap will definitely add a lot of depth to the roster. Their presence in the locker room will be a great boost to the team that will be looking to stay healthy and compete for the title.
Last year, the superstar trio of the Brooklyn Nets - James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant - did not have many minutes together in the regular season. The three featured in a mere 8 games together throughout the regular season last year. However, that did not stop the Brooklyn Nets from coming second in the Eastern Conference, only one game behind the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Nets Big 3, will be looking to continue their brilliance with terrific performances throughout the season. After losing out to the eventual champion Bucks last year, KD, Kyrie and Harden will be hoping to bounce back to the top and lead the Nets to their first-ever championship in franchise history.
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