If you want a glimpse at just how close the Brooklyn Nets came to making the Eastern Conference Finals, just take a look at Kevin Durant’s game-tying shot.
It was counted as a two, which tied the game and sent both teams to overtime, where Brooklyn would eventually fall.
But had Durant’s feet been just a tiny bit back, that final shot would have counted as a three-pointer, which would have left the Nets up 1 with just one second to go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP2KxuPdjD8
Seriously, had Durant’s shoes been a size smaller, they probably would have been the ones to move on. KD himself even recognized that fact:
“My big ass foot stepped on the line,” Durant told reporters after the game. “I just saw how close I was to ending their season with that shot.”
https://twitter.com/CarverJohnny/status/1406459254542843910
Perhaps even more crazy if a fact that was revealed after the game. Apparently, Durant actually wears a full shoe size bigger on the court than he does on the streets.
Did you know: KD actually wears a full size bigger in games than his actual shoe size. From @Herring_NBA’s 2018 story about why KD’s shoes fall off all the time: pic.twitter.com/kKo2gthZR8
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) June 20, 2021
Durant likes to wear a size bigger to help him feel lighter when he’s playing, and nobody can fault him for that. After all, it usually works wonders.
In this case, though, that habit may have come back to bite him.
Regardless, there’s no going back now. While Durant did the best he could at the moment, it wasn’t enough to get his team over the hump.
Perhaps next year, KD will get his chance for revenge. And maybe, just maybe, he’ll try to downsize his shoes before stepping foot on the court.
