"If you ain't driving the bus, don't walk around talkin' bout you a champion!" - Charles Barkley's take on former NBA champion's disappointing playoff run so far
Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson were covering tonight's NBA playoff games when the conversation hit Kevin Durant.
KD’s forgettable performance last night was a big reason why the Brooklyn Nets are on the verge of getting swept by the Boston Celtics.
The NBA on TNT crew was analyzing the Nets-Celtics game when Barkley wanted to make a point about great players and playoff situations. “Sir Chuck” minced no words, calling out Durant’s 16-point display against the Celtics on the Nets’ home floor.
Here’s Barkley ripping KD’s championship wins:
"All these guys can play, but please don’t tell me you’re a great, great player and you’re averaging 20."
"I don’t wanna badmouth the dude... But I tried to tell y’all, all these bus drivers? They don’t mean nothing to me. If you ain’t drivin’ the bus, don’t walk around talkin’ about you a champion! If you ridin’ a bus, I don’t wanna hear it."
"If you ain't driving the bus, don't walk around talkin' bout you a champion!"
Chuck sounds off on KD's playoff performance. https://t.co/NSULRff4nD
Kevin Durant is a two-time NBA champion and a two-time finals MVP. He won his championships following his controversial decision to join Steph Curry and the dynastic Golden State Warriors.
To this day, most fans and basketball analysts doubt that KD could have won a title had he not hopped on the Warriors’ bandwagon.
The farthest KD has led his team in the postseason was the 2012 NBA Finals, where his OKC Thunder lost to the LeBron James-led Miami Heat. It wasn’t until his stint with the Warriors that he finally lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Four years ago today, Kevin Durant announced he would sign with the Warriors.
The Warriors would go on to win the next two NBA titles, and Durant was Finals MVP both times.
During Durant's 3 years with Golden State, he scored 25.8 PPG on 52/38/88 percent shooting splits. https://t.co/0RfcltiK3Z
It doesn’t look like Durant will be adding to his championship haul. KD, supposedly the most-skilled scorer in NBA history, is averaging only 22 points, the lowest of his career in the playoffs.
Kevin Durant has been overwhelmed by the Boston Celtics defense
Heading into the postseason, Kevin Durant averaged 29.9 points in 55 games, shooting 51.8% from the field, including 38.3% from three. These numbers have fallen off the cliff against the Boston Celtics’ physical and aggressive defense.
KD is averaging only 22 points on 36.5% shooting. Before Game 3, where he shot 6-11 from the field, he recorded a horrific 31.6% and had 13 made baskets to 12 turnovers.
Kevin Durant, Best Basketball Player on the Planet, has been turned into a basket case by the Boston Celtics.
Here’s what Durant had to say in a report after the Nets remained winless against the Celtics:
"When you got good teammates around you as well, you're trying to figure out, I try to figure out how I can be the best version of myself and also not getting in my teammates' way."
"Sometimes I think too much about it. Sometimes I need to go out there and just [have] no thoughts in my head and just play.”
No team has ever bounced back after losing the first three games of a series. It looks like Charles Barkley’s stinging words will continue to be fuel against KD until the Nets superstar wins a championship on his own.