On April 21, Beijing time, the NBA Eastern Playoffs First Round Nets lost to the Celtics 107-114 on the road, and the series score became 0-2, and as the core players of the two sides, Durant and Tatum's on-field performances were in stark contrast.
Series G1:
Durant played 41 minutes, shooting 9 of 24, including 1 of 5 from three points and 4 of 5 from the free throw line, contributing 23 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 6 turnovers, a plus-minus value on the court -13 lowest in the whole team; Tatum played 45 minutes, shot 9 of 18, including 3 of 7 three-pointers, 10 of 12 from the free throw line, contributed 31 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 5 turnovers, plus or minus on the court, and finally got rid of Durant's defensive cut and completed the layup kill.
Series G2:
Durant played 42 minutes, shot 4 of 17, including 1 of 2 three-pointers, 18 of 20 from the free throw line, contributed 27 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 6 turnovers, durant shot 10 of 0, only relying on free throws to get 12 points, on the court plus-minus -10 or the lowest team; Tatum played 41 minutes, shot 5 of 16, including 5 of 5 three-pointers, 7 of 8 free throws, contributed 19 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 block 3 turnovers, plus or minus on the court + 11 second on the team, Tatum contributed 7 points and 4 assists in the crucial fourth quarter, once again becoming the key to the team's reversal to win.
Statistics: Throughout the series, when Durant faced Tatum's defense, he shot only 2 of 13, including 3 of 3 three-pointers, including 8 points from the free throws, without a single assist, and 7 turnovers. In addition, Tatum also blocked Durant 2 times, and only 1 shot foul against Durant, which can be said to have completed the crushing at both ends of the attack and defense.
Durant eventually lost to his physical strength, in the past 11 games, Durant's average playing time is as high as 41 minutes per game, coupled with the frequent major injuries in the past two years, Durant is somewhat powerless in the face of the Celtics' tough defense, more likely to be impatient when he can't shoot, and then fall into a disgusting cycle. Only at this time can it reflect James's strength from the side, the pressure and physical hazards faced by James in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals are not smaller than durant now, but James carried it down, just don't know if Durant can prove himself.