Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving led Brooklyn Nets are now 0-3 down to the Celtics in the 2022 NBA playoffs.
Advertisement
Given how skilled the duo is in terms of their scoring and their playmaking ability, the Kyrie–Durant show was supposed to dominate the league. Although it did start in an optimistic manner, the series against the Celtics tells a different story.
Facing off against a team who are defensively solid, the Nets are struggling. Although they were able to do some damage with fluid passing, their iso-plays down the stretch of the game have really haunted them.
KD and Kyrie might be the best iso-scorers the NBA has ever seen. But Boston certainly realizes the threat the two possess, doubling them and forcing them to make hard shots. Given the dire state the Nets find themselves in, are the duo really the way forward for the Nets?
Magic Johnson questions the fit between Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving
If one man knows anything about dynamic duos in the NBA, it is Magic Johnson. Having shared the court with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic formed a lethal duo for the Lakers in the 80s.
While the Lakers’ legend was certainly excited when the Nets’ super-team with Irving and Durant was formed, it seems like the 3-time champion doesn’t seem to trust the fit between the two.
I’ve seen some of the best duos that have ever played in the NBA in my 40 years of being associated with the league. After watching the first three games between the Celtics and the Nets, I’m wondering if Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are a good fit.🤔
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 24, 2022
Durant and Kyrie might be two of the most skilled scorers the league might have ever seen. With KD the Nets have a three-way scorer and with Irving, they have an unbelievable ball-handler.
But barring these two, Brooklyn looks empty, especially down the stretch. The Celtics certainly have figured this out as well, and it is pretty evident in their defensive schemes often centered around the Nets’ duo.
If the Nets really want a way back to this playoff series, it will depend on their supporting cast. Individually, Durant and Kyrie will have to show their best form if Brooklyn really wants to make a historic comeback. Can the Nets come back from 0 to 3 down?
