"KD and Kyrie on their way to joining LeGone in Cancun" - Skip Bayless' damning taunts for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as Nets lose Game 2 of the playoffs to Celtics
The Boston Celtics rallied from a 17-point deficit to stun Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 of their series.
Brooklyn started like a house on fire and built a 65-55 lead heading into the second half.
Like they’ve shown during their impressive mid-season turnaround, the Boston Celtics doubled down on defense and allowed their collective effort to carry them through.
Skip Bayless, who continues to monitor the NBA playoffs, quickly pounced on the chance to hit LeBron James and taunt the Brooklyn Nets’ superstar duo.
“KD and Kyrie on their way to joining LeGone in Cancun.”
KD and Kyrie on their way to joining LeGone in Cancun.
It’s unclear whether Bayless is calling it a sweep or a prolonged series, but he’s already guaranteeing that the Boston Celtics will win this matchup.
The series still has a long way to go and will shift to Barclays Center for Games 3 and 4. With Irving and Kevin in tow, the Nets are definitely still alive.
Perhaps it was the way the Boston Celtics mounted the comeback that pushed the veteran sports show host to make his damning comment.
The third quarter ended with the Nets still up 90-85, but it felt like the end was inevitable.
The big comeback was predicated on the Celtics’ defense, which held Kyrie Irving to 10 points after dropping 18 in the fourth quarter alone in Game 1.
Kevin Durant labored to get to 27 points as he shot 4-17 from the field. 18 of his 27 points came from the free-throw line, which emphasized how Boston wanted KD to bleed for his points.
Points in the 4Q
8 — Payton Pritchard
6 — Kevin Durant
2 — Kyrie Irving https://t.co/aDlP6PjWgv
When Jaylen Brown tied the game at 92 all with more than eight minutes left in the game, the Nets kept fighting but looked deflated.
Durant and Irving combined for eight of the Brooklyn Nets’ 17 points in the fourth quarter. The Boston Celtics, meanwhile, had back-up point guard Payton Prichard cooking the Nets with eight points of his own.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant have to play well at the same time to beat the Boston Celtics
For the Brooklyn Nets to turn the series around, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have to be on point at the same time.
Game 1 saw a mesmerizing Irving carrying KD, who had an off-night. They nearly pulled it off but still lost the game 115-114.
In Game 2, the Celtics shut down Irving to the delight of the TD Garden crowd and simply overwhelmed the rest of the Nets.
Unless Brooklyn’s other shooters, such as Seth Curry and Patty Mills, come alive, this could be a short series.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving shoot a combined 26% from the field tonight. https://t.co/D8pV5eKh4X
Ben Simmons coming back and playing 10-15 minutes may not help at all. He hasn’t played all season long, and the last time he appeared in a postseason game, he ended up mentally scared to play.
Simmons’ defense will help like a bigger, more versatile version of Bruce Brown. However, unless Irving concedes playmaking duties, Simmons will be a liability on offense.