Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo have a brewing playoff rivalry that may rear its head again this year, as early as the first round of the playoffs. The Bucks are in the fight for the #1 seed in the East, while the Nets are looking to solidify their position in the 7-8 play-in or make a run for the sixth seed.
If the Bucks are the #2 seed and the Nets win their 7-8 matchup against Toronto or Cleveland, the Nets and Bucks would be a first-round matchup. Considering the playoff history between these teams from last season, there is a lot of intrigue in how this would play out this season.
After the Nets beat the Detroit Piston on the back of a 41-point night from Kevin Durant, a reporter asked KD about Giannis, who had a 46-point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers.
"His points are almost an absolute guarantee"
Kevin Durant talks about trying to stop Giannis and the BUcks: pic.twitter.com/CLgZOMd2Ge
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) March 30, 2022
“He’s one of those players that established himself. His points are almost an absolute guarantee, you know what I’m saying? It’s about playing physical and making it as tough as you can. From top to bottom, they got a great team that play well with each other and have continuity. There’s more than Giannis, but his points, they’re gonna happen. You’ve to just make it as tough as possible.”
Giannis is leading conversations for MVP, DPOY, and scoring title this season, proving he is improving every season. However, it still seems like he won’t win any of the voter awards due to attrition with him being so consistently good every season.
The Bucks have maintained the same core from the 2021 Championship team, while the Nets have had massive changes to their lineup. James Harden won’t suit up anymore, and it looks like Ben Simmons won’t suit up either. However, they do have a rim protector in Andre Drummond and a sniper in Seth Curry.
It’ll be tough for the Nets to overcome the Bucks this season, but the Nets came half-an-inch away from victory last season despite their team being mostly injured. These playoffs may pose a different challenge for them.
