The Brooklyn Nets have finally arrived post a rather bumpy start to the season. Newly promoted head coach Jacque Vaughn and his crew took care of matters at home as they hosted the defending champion Golden State Warriors, minus the Splash Brothers and Andrew Wiggins.
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Kevin Durant and co recorded a mammoth 91-points in the first half, the highest in Nets franchise history, having 9-players score double-digits while shooting 63.6% from the 3-point line without Kyrie Irving available for the game. The Brooklyn team is now 11-1 in their last 12 games.
Thus with Christmas around the corner, one would find it difficult to fathom the Nets not having a game, something Durant would reflect upon in the post-game media interaction. The two-time Finals MVP even dished out the team he would have liked to face on X’mas Day.
Also read: Most Points In An NBA Half: Which Team Has Scored The Most Points In A Half in The NBA?
Sadly, the Nets fans will not get to see their favorite stars play on Christmas Day, something Durant was willing to take responsibility for too.
Kevin Durant holds himself accountable for the Nets not getting a Christmas spot.
Revealing his desire to face arch-rivals Knicks on Christmas Day, KD would take responsibility for the Nets not playing on X’mas, saying the following.
“Knicks-Nets would’ve been a perfect matchup on Christmas, hopefully, we can get that going forward. I probably am responsible for us not playing on Christmas because of what went on this summer.”
The Slim Reaper would cite his chaotic off-season as a reason probably why the Nets didn’t get a Christmas Day game. The four-time scoring champion was referring to the storm he caused with his trade episode during the summer, given the superstar had 4-years and $194 million left on his contract.
Post months of discussion and negotiations, KD agreed to say with the Nets. Nevertheless, he had already inflicted certain damage, especially when it came to the league formulating its schedule for the upcoming season. Not knowing where the 6ft 10″ forward would land, the league decided to drop the Nets from their Christmas Day game.
The Knicks-Nets rivalry.
Both New York teams have been balling off-late, having a one-position differential in their standings in the eastern conference, with the Nets ranked 4th and Knicks 6th.
It’s no secret how Knicks fans despise the Brooklyn team, even more so, post KD choosing the Barclays Center over Madison Square Garden.
Thus while we may have been robbed of X’mas matchup, fans are hopeful of a playoff series between the two.
