Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets came into their series against the Boston Celtics as underdogs, however, it was clear that they were supposed to be evenly matched. After all, a team with Kyrie Irving and KD should be able to beat anybody, even if the team's defense is a little suspect. Through two games against the Celtics, however, KD has largely struggled as the Celtics have been able to hold him to limited scoring, all while winning the first two games.
Durant's performances have been appalling to many sports talk analysts, especially those who had labeled him as the best player in the world. Now, it looks like that title belongs to Joel Embiid, and Stephen A. Smith has had no choice but to admit the error of his ways. In fact, today on First Take, Smith had a lot to say about KD and what transpired last night as he went 0-10 in the second half.
Jeff Hahne/Getty Images for Kenny Smith
“This is a tragic performance. … I have never seen Kevin Durant look this bad," Smith explained on the broadcast. Smith noted that while the Celtics have played tremendous defense, it is still up to KD to perform at a high level. He and Kyrie have not lived up to their side of the deal, and Smith is even worried about the Nets getting swept. Needless to say, Games 1 and 2 have been a fall from grace for KD and the Nets as a whole.
Game 3 is set to go down on Saturday in Brooklyn. This will be a must-win for the Nets as a team has never come back from down 0-3 to win a series. If the Nets want to make that win happen, Kyrie and KD will need to be the two best players on the floor for all 48 minutes.