“He’s saying, 'My mama gonna come over and cook some fried chicken and macaroni, my fans gon' be behind me’“ - Shaquille O’Neal's "advice" for Kevin Durant with his playoff series shifting to KD's home turf in Brooklyn
Speaking today on ESPN, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal was asked what advice he would give Kevin Durant moving forward. O'Neal emphasized that Durant is a great player and heading home to Brooklyn should be just what he needs to get back on track. O'Neal stated:
“He’s saying, 'My mama gonna come over and cook some fried chicken and macaroni, my fans gon' be behind me.’“
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets are heading home to hopefully regroup before their upcoming game against the Boston Celtics.
The Nets looked to be firing on all cylinders during Game 2, as the team built a 17-point lead and were on the verge of tying up the series. That was, until Boston orchestrated a monumental comeback. Boston went on to win the game 114-107.
The Nets now find themselves down 2-0 in the series and Durant continued to struggle. In just two games, Durant has averaged 25.0 points per game, but is shooting 31.7% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range. The superstar forward is also averaging an eye-opening 6.0 turnovers per game.
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets look to get back on track
The Brooklyn Nets will have their work cut off for them moving forward if they want to get back in the series against the Boston Celtics. After leading for the majority of the game, Brooklyn was outscored 59-42 in the second half.
The defensive effort from the Celtics on Durant has been suffocating, and it's been a major reason why Durant has struggled throughout the first two games.
Although Durant is one of the top scorers in the league, he's continued to look flustered by the swarming defense of the Celtics.
With the Nets trailing 2-0, they will now look to get their rhythm back in front of their home fans. After a strong performance in Game 1 from teammate Kyrie Irving, the superstar guard also struggled in Game 2. He finished with just 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
Kevin Durant when guarded by Jayson Tatum in Game 2 per NBA tracking:
10:33 matchup time
4 PTS
0-7 FG
3 TO
1 BLK
Nets were 2-11 FG overall when defended by Tatum. Impacted the game with defense and playmaking even when he was struggling early.
Brooklyn likely need to win their next two home games if they want a chance to defeat the Celtics. For now, basketball fans will be anxious to see how Durant performs in Game 3.