Annihilating the Knicks and calling out New York City Mayor Eric Adams is all in a day’s work for Kevin Durant.
Kevin Durant wanted to put on a show for Kyrie Irving on Sunday afternoon. Irving is still banned from playing in games in Brooklyn. However, he was allowed to sit courtside at Barclays Center to watch his Brooklyn Nets play the New York Knicks on Sunday.
Durant knew he was going to need to increase his scoring load with Irving out. The best player in the world dropped 53 points and dished out nine assists in the 110-107 win over the Knicks.
Ho hum, just another day in the life of Kevin Durant. It was his second 50-piece of the season and he joins Jayson Tatum and LeBron James as the only players to hit this mark twice in 2021-22.
Players with multiple 50-point games this season:
Jayson Tatum
LeBron James
Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/PK232lzzK9— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 13, 2022
Irving dropped 50 in a win over the Charlotte Hornets last week, but all he could do on Sunday was watch. The enigmatic point guard is still barred from playing in home games. As far as sitting courtside, going into the locker room, and pretty much anything besides playing, Irving is good to go.
Durant urged New York City Mayor Eric Adams to change this puzzling rule.
Kevin Durant on Kyrie Irving not being able to play at home:
"We're all confused. Pretty much everybody in the world is confused at this point. Early on in the season, people didn't understand what was going on but now, it just looks stupid. Eric, you gotta figure this out." pic.twitter.com/t8aBEBEZEA
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) March 13, 2022
“It’s ridiculous,” Durant said to reporters. “I don’t understand it at all. I mean there’s a few people in our arena that’s unvaxxed… At this point now, someone is trying to make a statement or point to flex their authority.
“Everybody out here is looking for attention and that’s what I feel like the mayor wants right now, is some attention. But he’ll figure it out soon. He better, but it just didn’t make any sense… We’re all confused. Pretty much everybody in the world is confused at this point. Early on in the season, people didn’t understand what was going on but now, it just looks stupid. Eric, you gotta figure this out.”
Putting aside the efficacy of vaccines, masks, and these mandates altogether, the optics of the situation are bizarre. If the rules are intended to curb the spread of COVID-19, how does it make sense to let Irving sit amongst the crowd, but not play in the game? He would have less contact with the general public if he was on the court.
Of course, Irving could get vaccinated today and make all this nonsense go away. But that doesn’t change the fact that this rule, as currently applied, makes no sense.
Although this is a bigger issue that impacts far more people than just Kyrie, adding an exemption for athletes is not unheard of. Boston did it for the Celtics per Mass Live.
There are vocal critics on both sides of this argument. For what it’s worth, Irving’s former teammate LeBron James is backing up his old friend.
FACTS FACTS FACTS!! It literally makes ABSOLUTELY ZERO SENSE!!! They say if common sense was common then we’d all have it. Ain’t that the truth. ??♂️??♂️??♂️??♂️ #FreeKyrie https://t.co/EhAcjuMrsL
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 13, 2022