Kevin Durant isn’t going to win the MVP, but he’s at the top of the list in the “best player in the world” conversation. With the Brooklyn Nets down big in the second half of a must-win game, KD flipped the switch.
Durant led Brooklyn on a 21-point comeback in the second half, which included 13 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in the fourth quarter alone. Needless to say, he notched a triple-double on the night. Nets were down 77-60 midway through the third quarter but finished the game on a 50-21 run.
Here's Kyrie Irving waving goodbye to the MSG crowd after the Patty Mills late 3 that pretty much notched the Nets win over the Knicks. pic.twitter.com/7CAdARSvNs
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) April 7, 2022
"Waving to the crowd was just like 'see you guys next year'"
– Kyrie Irving on waving goodbye to the MSG crowd tonight pic.twitter.com/SFOgXWq99L
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) April 7, 2022
Even if the game itself was frantic and chaotic, it was fun to watch. For Durant and Kyrie Irving, the fun didn’t stop at the final buzzer. The superstar duo took to trolling Knicks fans during postgame media availability.
Kevin Durant on Twitter interactions with Knicks fans & more on the Nets-Knicks rivalry
"It felt like a home game to us the last 2 times in The Garden, it feels like a home game to the Knicks when they come to the Barclays" pic.twitter.com/0Q3MJSsLbB
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) April 7, 2022
“Yeah, I mean, imagine the tweets I’ve been getting since I’ve decided to come to the Nets from Knicks fans,” Durant explained. “They’re still pissed off about stuff I say, little jabs here and there but like I said, it’s always love in the streets when I see Knick fans, always love at the games.
“But it’s a good rivalry to be a part of. Everybody who steps in our building will realize how big these games are, you know? Felt like a home game to us the last two times in the Garden and it feels like a home game to the Knicks when they come to the Barclays. That’s what basketball is all about, stuff like that, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
It’s only light trolling from Durant, all things considered. He has a lot of respect for the Knicks, New York basketball fans, and the rivalry itself. Durant is a lot of things, but “basketball player” is always first and foremost.
While he might call Knicks-Nets a rivalry, it doesn’t look like one on paper. Brooklyn is 7-0 against New York since the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. In fact, Durant is on a personal 14-game winning streak against the Knickerbockers dating all the way back to 2013 when he was playing for the Thunder.
That’s not a typo — the last time the Knicks beat Kevin Durant was almost a decade ago. It might be a rivalry on paper, but this is as one-sided as it gets.
And of course, a Nets-Knicks game couldn’t come and go without someone bringing up 2019 free agency.
"[The Knicks] had a good chance at getting us back in free agency. But we just felt like we wanted to build here and just make our mark on this franchise"
Kyrie Irving reflects on his & Kevin Durant's decision to sign with the Nets pic.twitter.com/Qu6kkIR3gk
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) April 7, 2022
“I think one of the funniest things that I see probably from Knicks fans, you know, me and [Durant] are perfect for each other because the way we respond on social sometimes,” Irving explained. “But I think it’s all in good fun, you know and they had a good chance of getting us you know back free agency but we just felt like we wanted to build here and just make our mark on this on this franchise. I don’t think we regret our decision. We just want to live with really leaning on each other and making sure this is successful for us.”
