mobile app bar

“Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving breaking apart just to rekindle Lakers – Celtics rivalry”: NBA Twitter gets excited to revisit the Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson glory days as KD to Boston rumours catch fire

Akash Murty
Published

“Kevin Durant is NOT Larry Bird”: 4-time Champ Has KD as His Favorite Current Player, But Considers Celtics Legend a Class Apart

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have been the biggest talking points this offseason because the teams which end up getting them will become a contender automatically.

As hard as it is going to get for the Brooklyn Nets to get the trade value they expect to get back for Durant and Irving before the trade deadline ends, they surely wouldn’t let go of the duo without getting what they deserve.

What would they be losing if they have to force both their future Hall of Famers to stay and run it back again this season? Just one thing – Irving leaving for free next season or for an even lesser value than Russel Westbrook in the mid-season trade window. Doesn’t sound that bad.

KD would almost be of the same value next year if he stays fit. And if the duo decides to pull some stunts to protest their way out of Brooklyn, Nets wouldn’t make it to the Playoffs, right? They most probably wouldn’t make it there anyway if they trade them.

The Nets can take their chances in the belief that neither of those stars can risk sitting out because it will be a massive source of fuel to their already under-fire legacy. But imagine what the teams that are linked to the stars would lose if Brooklyn decides to keep their stars?

Also read: $35 million worth JR Smith finds it “unbelievable” that $60M/year star Damian Lillard wants to “rot” in Portland

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving going to Celtics and Lakers could bring reminiscences from the old Magic Johnson and Larry Bird rivalry

Lakers with Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Boston Celtics with Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, Jayson Tatum, and Kevin Durant will certainly be the favourites to come off their conference. It will reignite the Celtics-Lakers rivalry of the 80s.

If these two deals can somehow come true with Cs not losing much in order to get The Slim Reaper besides Jaylen Brown, it will surely take us back to the 80s to those Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar versus Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson games.

Although 37-year-old LeBron might not be left with much time to give us that kind of long-spanning rivalry, even a year or two of these two playing the Finals would bring such gigantic viewership that the game has never seen.

Also read: Rockets 7-foot legend Hakeem Olajuwon is the only player with 5 seasons of 6-plus Blocks+Steals, the rest of the NBA has a combined TWO

Now it will be interesting to see whether Irving who is reportedly not as desperate to get to LA as he was earlier, would be able to be that way until the trade deadline. And also if the Celtics find a way of getting KD and not lose too much in the process.

A quick note: Both teams have the Championship 17 times in the past.

About the author

Akash Murty

Akash Murty

x-iconfacebook-iconinstagram-iconlinkedin-icon

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

Share this article