LIKE KD NEVER LEFT Nets roll as Durant returns
It happened with just under eight minutes to go in the second quarter.
The Barclays Center crowd grew anxious as Kevin Durant, who was announced a starter after missing 23 games with a hamstring injury, was replaced in the starting lineup by Bruce Brown at tipoff. That anxiety grew palpable as coach Steve Nash deployed 10 other players in the first quarter alone.
Was everything OK? Did Durant suffer a setback? Would a socially-distant and almost sold-out crowd have to wait another day to see the best player in the City?
No. No. And ultimately, hell no. Durant returned on Wednesday night and powered the Nets to a 139-111 victory over the Pelicans. More than any basket or assist or rebound or steal he logged, it was his presence that opened the floodgates for a blowout.
“I mean a big part is him. As soon as he checks in the game, defenses sort of shift their attention,” Blake Griffin said. “Him hitting shots obviously helps, but also him not forcing it. I thought he did such a great job of letting the game come to him.”
The party started with 7 minutes and 50 seconds to go in the second quarter. That was by design: Durant entered the game with a minutes restriction and Nash wanted to maximize his time on the floor.
“We just thought it was an opportunity to give him a chance to play in the second half, or if the game is tight to be able to play down the stretch,” Nash explained. “That way we could manage his minutes and his minute limitations in a way that could allow him to have an impact on the game if it was close. Not much more to it really.”
Durant’s slim, seven-foot frame sauntered off the bench to the nearest baseline, where he did a hopscotch-like warmup under the basket. Then he walked up the sidelines, donning the brightest of bright yellow sneakers, and sat on the scorer’s table. Kyrie Irving hit the ground shortly after, prompting a whistle from the nearest official.
Durant looked at the jumbotron, then took off his warmup. The number seven and his last name approached the hardwood for the first time since Feb. 13, when he strained his hamstring against his former Warriors teammates.
The anxiety disappeared and out came excitement and confidence. It didn’t take long for Durant to get his first bucket. The self-proclaimed “Easy Money Sniper” first cashed in on a mid-range shot created by a pindown screen. He scored again shortly after, attacking in transition for a layup.
“I just wanted to go out there and dive right into the action,” he said. “The game was fast-paced already, so from watching it from the bench I knew exactly how I needed to approach it.”
Durant finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 19 minutes. He did not miss any of his five shots. He did not miss any of his five free throws. He was mobile defensively, and he turned the ball over six times, but that’s expected of a star who hasn’t played in two months.
The Nets outscored the Pelicans by 22 in his 19 minutes on the floor. The box score told only half the story.
James Harden may very well be the league’s Most Valuable Player this season, but as it pertains to Nets’ championship hopes, Durant is the MVP in Brooklyn. His presence on the floor sent the Pelicans’ defense into disarray. He has gravity, the command of defensive respect without having the ball in his hands. That gravity created open shots, open lanes, and turned the Pelicans’ shell defense into Swiss cheese.
“You have to stay close. He’s a great shooter, but he’s also 6-11, so if you’re not there on the catch, and even if you are, he might be up and over you,” Nash said. “He’s gonna put a lot of pressure, he’s gonna create space for his teammates, and he’s gonna make the defense really react and potentially overreact a lot.”
When Durant checked in the game, the Nets were up nine. By the time he retired for the night at the end of the third quarter, the Nets were up 115-82.
Even more concerning for opposing defenses was Durant’s assessment of that idea of gravity. He feels he can have that impact when he plays with force, but said he did not play with that force on Wednesday.
“When I’m getting downhill, when I’m aggressive with the basketball, when I’m making the right play, I feel like I shift the defense,” he said. “But if I’m just out there standing and not playing physical and not running to my spots right I feel like I’m just out there. So I just try and make a conscious effort of doing something. Imposing my will in some way. Maybe not just scoring but pushing the tempo rebounding the basketball just getting into the paint I try and do. But I only feel that if I’m playing with force.”
Durant could have fooled the Pelicans. They felt every one of his minutes on the floor as if he played with the same force he said he lacked.
Durant’s perfect night had the perfect ending: a landslide victory and two days off before the Lakers, minus LeBron James and Anthony Davis, come in on Saturday.