With Kyrie Irving in the stands, Kevin Durant beats Knicks with 53 points on his back to carry the Nets / With Kyrie Irving in the stands, Kevin Durant's 53 points carry Nets over Knicks
Published: March 13, 2021 US time
Publisher: the Athletic
Article author: Alex Schevol
Article translated by de Gaulle
On the afternoon of March 13, local time, in the Nets' home game with the Knicks, the sudden arrival of a "guest" instantly attracted the eyes of everyone on the court.
He's Kerry Owen.
The reason Irving is used as a "guest" is because under New York City's current epidemic regulations, Irving, who has not been vaccinated, is still unable to play at the Barclays Center. But because of the slight adjustment of the policy, Irving was able to enter the arena as a spectator to watch the game.
Before walking to his sideline seat, Owen first said hello to the team's owner, Tsai Chongxin. Then he took a seat across the nets bench. His teammates saw him at once and waved at him. Owen smiled and waved at his teammates. Kevin Durant, who was sitting on the bench, turned his head to Drummond, who was sitting on the sidelines, after waving at Irving, and both Nets players smiled.
In the post-match interview, Durant was also asked by reporters how he felt at the time. Durant recalled saying two words to Drummond: "The scene was so unreal. I've never seen a scene like this before. ”
Shortly after Owen sat down, the broadcast camera immediately captured him, and Owen's figure also appeared on the ceiling screen of the scene. But what was somewhat unexpected was that the response of the fans on the scene was not so enthusiastic, only a few cheers and applause. However, Owen clearly did not care about this. At half-time, he also returned to the home team's dressing room with his teammates. For the first time this season, Irving can stay with his teammates at home, which is probably the most meaningful place.
However, although Irving is allowed to enter the Barclays Center, under the current epidemic prevention policy, he is still unable to play at home. Compared to the situation before this season, although Irving has taken a very important step toward playing at home, for the Nets, such a policy adjustment not only does not solve the fundamental problem, but also intensifies the players' resistance to the policy.
Kevin Durant, for example, has made public his doubts about New York Mayor Eric Adams' epidemic prevention policy. "I don't understand. As things stand, it seems that some people want to express an attitude or loosen some of the controls. But it seems to me that this is what the mayor wants to attract everyone's attention," Durant said, "but he doesn't make sense." Now that people who haven't been vaccinated can enter the arena, we have a teammate who has come in, so are they threatening our safety? I don't understand, everyone is confused. Earlier this season, people didn't understand what was going on, and now, it looks even more stupid. So, I hope Eric (Adams) you hurry up and find a solution to this problem. ”
In addition to Durant, many players, including James, have expressed similar views through social media — since Irving is allowed to enter the arena to watch the game, the theory of not allowing him to play becomes untenable. However, these statements still cannot change the status quo facing Owen. In the Nets' home game against the Knicks, Irving could only sit on the sidelines, watching Durant fight for 43 minutes, with a unique performance of 53 points, leading the Nets to a 3-point advantage to win the opponents in the same city.
The reason why Durant played so hard, in addition to the lack of Irving's help, also temporarily lost set-up Curry and Aldridge, two strong reinforcements, both of whom missed the game due to their respective injuries. So Durant must shoulder a heavier offensive burden than ever before. In addition to scoring 50+, Durant also used a key three-pointer at the end to help the team seal the win.
Seeing that Durant on the court repeatedly used his excellent offensive state to send basketball into the basket, Irving on the sidelines also stood up and applauded to cheer for his teammates. For him, this is the first time this season that he has watched the game as a spectator, and the first time he has seen up close the impact of his choice not to receive vaccinations on the team.
Without Irving's help, durant scored the second highest scorer around Durant, drummond with 18 points, Bruce Brown, who contributed 15 points, and Clarkston, who scored 10 points. Throughout the game, Nash shortened the rotation and used only 7 main players to play the whole game. In this case, Durant became the only reliable player the team could count on.
"He's an all-out Kevin Durant today," Nash commented after the game.
When talking about his play after the game, Durant's emotions were obviously not as strong as when evaluating Irving's problems. "In the game, you have a feeling that you can use your technical ability to influence the course of the game on multiple levels," Durant said, "I can influence my teammates and let them benefit from my technical ability." I know how much effort I put in below, which makes me the player I am today. So, I feel like I've really improved every team-mate on the pitch and that's where I feel best. ”
Of course, the teammates who can get the biggest promotion around Durant and also provide the greatest help to Durant are currently unable to play. Under the current epidemic prevention policy, Irving can only play in 4 of the nets' last 14 regular season games, and Ben Simmons, who joined through a big deal, is still recovering his body, and when he can play for the Nets is still unknown. As it stands, the Nets have a high probability of playing play-off games to compete for playoff tickets.
"We've been in a similar situation in the past, where we've had twists and turns along the way," Nash said, "and at the same time, today's situation is also more special, and we can't borrow from the experience of the past." However, we cannot be worried about it, and we are not worried about it. Our goal is not to play 30, 40 or 50 games collectively, but to play together for 4 or 5 years. So, the current situation does not worry us. ”
Nash doesn't worry about the future of the team, and one of the big reasons is that he has a Durant who is in such good form. After the game against the Knicks, Durant, who performed well, was naturally pulled by reporters for an interview, while Irving waited on the side. After Durant's interview, Irving walked over and hugged his teammates, then the two put their arms around each other and walked into the players' tunnel. Seeing this scene, the Nets players, coaches and fans may be more expectant that Irving can wear the home shirt and walk into the Barclays Center side by side with Durant.