Kevin Durant’s allegiance now lies with the Brooklyn Nets as they will be facing the Golden State Warriors, the franchise where he won his two championships, on Tuesday night. It will undoubtedly be a marquee matchup as both teams look like favorites to reach the 2022 NBA Finals from their respective conferences.
Regardless, Durant has chosen to focus on the game and not get lost inside the hype. When asked about the fixture, he was sure to make it known that it was just another fixture in their 82-game schedule.
“It’s just another game, I mean it’s 15 games into the season. Obviously, they are the best team in the league and they’re playing at an elite level.”
He added:
“It’s a regular-season game. We obviously want to go out there and win in front of our home crowd, but we’re not gonna put too much pressure on ourselves and call this a Finals matchup.”
“We’re not looking at it anything like this, you know? It’s another opportunity for us to build up who we are, figure out what we wanna do out there, and keep pushing.”
Kevin Durant isn't buying into the hype of Warriors-Nets on Tuesday:
"It's a regular season game. We obviously want to go out there and win in front of our home crowd, but we're not gonna put too much pressure on ourselves and call this a Finals matchup" pic.twitter.com/edo0QscHRL
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) November 15, 2021
Despite efforts to downplay the fixture, fans will be tuning in from all over the world to get a glimpse of what might be if both teams reach the NBA Finals. These two squads are currently not playing at full strength, which makes the matchup a bit balanced. Although the Durant-James Harden duo is superior to any the Warriors have right now.
The Warriors are hopeful for Klay Thompson’s return before Christmas, who might be the final piece they need for their championship run. Unfortunately, the Nets are not expecting Kyrie Irving anytime soon as neither the player nor the city of New York is shifting their stance on the covid-19 vaccination.
Durant is currently the leading scorer in the 2021-22 season, averaging 29.1 points. Stephen Curry is closely behind with 28.1 points per game. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has also said that they have been the two best players in the league so far.
