ICYMI: “You gotta get a 1" smaller shoe” - Kevin Durant has hilarious banter with a courtside Milwaukee Bucks fan, says he is "just gonna win it this year"
NBA and Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant continues to be sidelined due to a knee injury for the Nets, but this means that he can participate in hilarious banter with courtside fans during the games.
On one such occasion, the Brooklyn Nets traveled to Milwaukee to take on the Milwaukee Bucks and Durant seemed to interact with a fan sitting courtside as this was the first time Durant was in Milwaukee for the game after nearly eliminating them during last season's Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Bucks fans were talking about the incredible performance from "The Slim Reaper" last season in Game 7 as the Nets would have progressed to the next round had Durant worn smaller sized shoes. Durant replied to the fans by saying:
"This year I'm just going to win it."
It was a hilarious little exchange between an NBA player and fans as we have seen in the past of how intense these interactions can get. It was refreshing to see a more light-hearted scene play out; at times players and fans have been punished for their courtside antics.
Kevin Durant's MVP caliber season
Widely considered to be the best player in the game right now, Kevin Durant had an incredible season for the Nets before he was sidelined. Durant's injury came at the worst possible time as the Nets gathered steam, especially with Kyrie Irving's timely return to the lineup. Which would have helped the team as they tried to re-establish chemistry on the court.
Durant is currently averaging 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists while shooting the ball higher than 37% from beyond the arc and 52% from the field. He has recorded two triple-doubles this season and 11 double-doubles. The sheer fact that this is the least efficient he has shot from the perimeter over the last decade barring the 2018-19 season is a testament to Durant's marksmanship.
Kevin Durant has 19 points at halftime against Milwaukee. The rest of the Nets starting lineup has 17.
Durant entered Friday having outscored the rest of his team's starters in 4 games this season, second only to Stephen Curry (5 games) for most in the NBA. https://t.co/3toNfLlgwV
Initially, Durant made a strong case for the MVP award earlier in the campaign, and historically a team's record has played a pivotal role in deciding the regular season MVP. Durant had that in his favor, as the Nets sat second in the Eastern Conference standings and only half a game behind leaders the Chicago Bulls before he was injured.
Durant held the fort for the Brooklyn-based franchise without the service of Irving and James Harden, who had fitness issues early on in the season. On top of all that, Durant suffered a catastrophic Achilles injury during the 2019 NBA Finals, which saw him be sidelined for more than a year.
However, with the season past the All-Star break, the focus will purely be on the postseason for Kevin Durant and the Nets. Once Durant's recovery is complete, the Nets will aim to win their first championship in the history of the franchise.