Kevin Durant seemed to look mortal in game two against Patrick Beverley and the Clippers, in the 2019 playoffs, turning the ball over more times than he shot it.
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The Warriors would also surprisngly lose that game to the lowly eighth seed Los Angeles Clippers, who tied the series up at one game a piece. After the game, questions started to swirl about Durant being irritated by Beverley, his lack of aggression, and whether the Warriors were done for.
It took one simple press conference, and some crazy performances by the ‘Slim Reaper’ afterwards to prove to everybody just how wrong they were.
Kevin Durant 2019 playoffs pre injury:
34.2 PPG
5.2 REB
4.9 AST
51.3 FG%
41.6 3PT%
90.1 FT%The Return coming soon 👀 @KDTrey5 pic.twitter.com/KAZOjyCv50
— John 🇺🇸 (@KyriesIntellect) April 5, 2020
Kevin Durant Shut Patrick Beverly Up With His Performance Following Beverley’s Durant Stopper Comments
If there’s one thing you should know about Kevin Durant, it’s that he will never back down from you. That’s why you should always be careful when you’re calling out the man.
Beverley didn’t adhere to this warning, and he set off a chain reaction that resulted in one of the most cold blooded press conference answers ever and a stretch of dominance over the 2019 playoffs.
When reporters crowded around Kevin Durant to ask him what exactly he thought of the Clippers defensive scheme and Patrick Beverley, Durant had one of the most unfiltered comments ever. Beverley is known for being a pest and an irritant on defense, and it was his play that led the Clippers to victory in game two of that series.
However, Durant didn’t think it was anything to worry about as after all he is Kevin Durant. This is something he explicitly said in the interview by the way.
“I’m not going to get in the way of the game because I want to have a back-and-forth with Patrick Beverley. I’m Kevin Durant. You know who I am. Y’all know who I am.”
You can watch the full interview here:
If only Beverley’s humilation could have ended there. The then Warriors superstar would go on an absolutely scorching run right after this interview, averaging nearly 39 points per game before he eventually went out with a calf injury.
Kevin Durant in the 2019 Playoffs after Beverley said he was the Durant stopper:
8 G*
38.8 PPG
5.4 REB
5.3 AST
1.0 STL
0.9 BLK52% FG%
43% 3PT FG% (8.4 3PA)
90% FT%•1 50 point game.
•3 games with 45+ PTs.
•30+ PTs in 7/8 games.*Doesn’t include G6 vs HOU or G1 vs TOR. pic.twitter.com/R80WlYahQA
— NBA Stats (@DailyNBAStats) April 8, 2020
Well, safe to say, Beverely may have learned his lesson about taking on Durant.
