Kevin Durant says the whole Brooklyn Nets organization was on his back ahead of their Game 5 against the Bucks in last year’s playoffs.
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Kevin Durant produced the second-best game of his lifetime when he led the Nets to an improbable comeback win in Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round last year.
This was a game where whoever won it would have the chance to close the series out. The Nets were clearly lower on talent than the Bucks, especially with the loss of Kyrie.
Brooklyn received a shot in the arm when James Harden decided to suit up. But there’s only so much vision The Beard could’ve displayed on the court. At the end, the heavy lifting fell to KD, and boy did that man lift!
Durant put up a staggering 48-point triple-double in that Game 5. He sealed his name as the world’s undoubted best basketball player for good in that game. It was a spiritual experience watching him take over the game in that 4th quarter, getting Brooklyn the lead.
Kevin Durant recalls his mindset ahead of Nets vs Bucks Game 5 this year in the playoffs
Jrue Holiday has gone on record to state how Kevin Durant was ‘mentally penetrating’ the Bucks during the playoffs last year. According to the Olympic gold medalist, KD was using various parts of his arsenal like a surgeon.
Tapping into a space like that requires an insane amount of preparation, dedication and observation. Film study is basically a nonstop process for NBA players when the playoffs roll around.
Kevin Durant was under way more pressure than the ordinary playoff star going into the Nets’ Game 5 against the Bucks last year. Brooklyn had just lost Kyrie Irving with ankle troubles for what looked like the season. James Harden had seen 1 minute of floor time against the Bucks.
All eyes were on the Slim Reaper, and NBA Twitter was doing all it could to make this a legacy-defining game for KD. It became one eventually, but the process is something KD would shed light on in the Knuckleheads Podcast:
“I had so many texts bro. We stay away from a lot of that noise, but you still hear some of that. Before the game, it was crazier because even close friends were like egging me on.”
“It’s no harder I can go on a rep, or much more focused with my brains. But a lot of people just start like ‘You gotta go to a different place to get something out of you to go play us.’. Nah man. At the end of the day, it’s just basketball, and y’all putting the pressure on the game.”