“Kevin Durant is the greatest player in New York basketball history”: Stephen A Smith gives the edge to the Nets superstar over legends such a Patrick Ewing and Willis Reed

Stephen A Smith boldly proclaims that Kevin Durant is the greatest player in New York basketball history, ahead of Patrick Ewing and others. 

The New York basketball scene has been held witness to some of its most fruitful years in the NBA in nearly a decade as surprisingly, both the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets made the Playoffs this season. While Kevin Durant looks to take on the Bucks in a crucial Game 5, the Knicks will be watching it all unfold from the comfort of their own homes. 

With both Kyrie Irving and James Harden being out for tonight’s Game 5 (though Harden has been upgraded to doubtful), Kevin Durant will have to go out and carry this lackluster Nets roster to a win against a Giannis-led squad that possesses all the momentum at the moment.

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Even without Kyrie and Harden, with the way KD has been playing as a Net, he could very well squeak out an upset win over the Bucks. After all, according to Stephen A Smith, this is what is expected of Durant. 

Stephen A Smith believes Kevin Durant is the greatest player in New York basketball history. 

In the buildup to tonight’s Game 5, Stephen A Smith took to ESPN’s First Take to claim that Kevin Durant needs to go out there and win. The reasoning behind this for Stephen A is the fact that he believes the ‘Slim Reaper’ is the greatest player to have ever played professionally in the city of New York: a statement Max Kellerman wholeheartedly agreed with.

“Kevin Durant is the greatest player in the history of New York.”

—@stephenasmith 👀🗽 pic.twitter.com/j8GhXDUix4

— First Take (@FirstTake) June 15, 2021

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For anyone who is flabbergasted at Smith’s proclamation, he is merely stating that KD is the greatest player to have ever played for an NBA team that operates out of New York. From context, it is clear he is not pushing the notion that Durant is the greatest Knick/ Net ever as this would certainly be preposterous. 

Being a New York native, SAS knows very well that guys like Patrick Ewing, Willis Reed, and Walt Frazier did much more for New York basketball than Kyrie, Kevin Durant, or James Harden have done up until this point. 

Even when the Nets resided in New Jersey, Jason Kidd led them to two straight NBA Finals, which amounts to more than anything this 2021 All-Star trio has done for the city of New York.