Category: Longhorns in NBA

Kevin Durant supplants himself atop the basketball world, Nets take series lead

The Brooklyn Nets took a 3-2 series lead over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night thanks for a historic night from Kevin Durant.

Just a day ago, seemingly every basketball fan and analyst from media outlets were questioning  Kevin Durant’s greatness. Some even proclaimed that Durant had yet to have a signature game in his career that puts him in the conversation with players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan.

With the Brooklyn Nets championship hopes fading due to injuries, Durant stepped up in a huge way to take the 3-2 series lead over Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.

The Nets were without Kyrie Irving, who had hurt his ankle in game four, and they were essentially without James Harden who tried to push through his hamstring injury. Harden’s leg was wrapped like a Christmas present, and his shooting stroke was anywhere but in Brooklyn as he shot 1-of-10 scoring just five points.

Durant had everyone in the world’s attention with his performance on Tuesday where he scored 49 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists. After having a couple off games with the absences of Harden and Kyrie, that saw Durant shooting 37% from the field, Milwaukee’s P.J. Tucker was seemingly deemed the “Durant Stopper.”

The Bucks had no answer, and Giannis Antetokounmpo who many thought would surpass Durant and LeBron James as the best in the world, expressed himself after the game that Durant is the best player in the world right now.

 

Not only did Durant step up his scoring by shooting close to 70% from the field, he did everything the Nets needed in order to push them past the Bucks. This included breaking history as he became the first player to have at least 45 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a playoff game. He also played the entire 48 minutes of the game for just the third time in his career.

Durant was unstoppable and he also received a great performance from Jeff Green who added 27 points off the bench after he hit seven threes.

It was a performance so amazing that all Nets head coach Steve Nash could do after the game was give Durant a huge hug.

Durant has often been the guy that was just born at the wrong time, because he and LeBron’s careers intersected at an inopportune time that saw LeBron in his prime.

With LeBron showing that he is actually human and slowing down, Durant’s performance last night might have just been the passing of the torch. Prior to last night’s game, there was yet to be a “Durant game,” but his 49 points and a huge win when his team was depleted by injuries is just a sign of Durant taking the title while chasing a title.

After game four, Durant and the Nets’ season was in jeopardy, and if the team does anything less than win it all they will be crucified. The Nets had lost what many considered to be a guaranteed spot in the NBA Finals and were showing signs of being exposed.

Now, the Nets have the upper hand in the series and Durant has the basketball world in his hands.

Bucks tie series 2-2 and it’s now Kevin Durant vs. the world

Breaking down the former Longhorns struggles in the NBA playoffs.

The Brooklyn Nets “big three” is now just a lone star.

James Harden injured his hamstring in game one, and in last night’s game four loss, Kyrie Irving went down with an ankle injury that will withhold him from the lineup for game five.

If you ask former Celtic Glenn Davis, he felt it was “karma” for Irving’s shoe drag across the Celtic’s logo during the last series.

Whether or not it is karma is for you to decide, but the main takeaway from game four is that Kevin Durant needs to carry the Nets by himself until reinforcements return.

With Irving in the lineup, the Milwaukee Bucks defense was not able to key in on Durant, and the Nets actually led by 11 at one point. After Irving left, the Nets collapsed. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo thrived scoring 34, and the Nets seemingly lost all ability to score and are no longer a lock to make it to the NBA Finals.

Durant managed to score 28 points, but had a horrible night efficiency wise. He shot 36% from the field and 12.5% from three. This was largely in part due to former Longhorn, P.J. Tucker, who was an absolute menace to Durant all game holding him to nine points when he guarded him.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQE_k2FLMfl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Tucker also added 13 points in game four, which is more than he scored in the first few games as he had only totaled up nine points in the first three games of the series.

In the series against the Celtics, Durant, Harden and Irving averaged 85.2 points, 21.0 rebounds and 16.4 assists. Subtracting his fellow two stars means the Durant and the Nets need to make up for losing 46 points, something that has been proving to be extremely difficult. Durant is averaging 31 points per game, and now after the injuries, Joe Harris is the second leading scorer averaging 12 points per game.

The Bucks had no issue clamping Durant and the rest of the team as, besides Irving who left the game early, not a single other player scored in double digits for the Nets.

Offense was supposed to be the strength of the Nets, to make up for the putrid defense, but now they lost their identity. Durant is not a slouch by any means, and is one of the top five players in the world, but he will certainly need to turn his performance around in order to survive this series.

Kevin Durant’s 30 points not enough to hold off the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3

Breaking down Kevin Durant’s performance and the Brooklyn Nets’ struggles in game three against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Just days after the Brooklyn Nets embarrassed the Milwaukee Bucks beating them by 39 points, the Bucks came into game three with a much more efficient strategy to cut the Nets series lead to 2-1.

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer took a new approach by playing Giannis Antetokounmpo practically the whole game, having the two-time MVP on the court for 43 minutes. Milwaukee also kept center Brook Lopez in the game in clutch time to help make the jumpers from Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant much more difficult. Lopez also blocked Bruce Brown’s potential go-ahead game winning layup.

This game looked like it was fresh out of the Jordan era, with the final score being 86-83. Durant shot a series worst 39% from the field, and the rest of his team was not much better. As a team, the Nets shot 36% from the field and 25% from three.

The frustration from Durant and the Nets was evident, especially when he and former Longhorn teammate, P.J. Tucker, got into a slight scuffle on the court.

In game two, the Nets had five players score in double digits with two other players scoring nine and eight points. The offensive support was just not there in game three, as the five other players not named Durant, Irving, or Brown combined for 15 points.

Nets head coach Steve Nash has to make some counter adjustments in order to help Durant and Irving score at a more efficient clip while getting more players involved. It helps he has offensive guru mike D’antoni on his sideline, but it is games like these where missing one of the best offensive players in league history, James Harden, exposes the Nets fragility.

“He’s (Harden) progressing nicely as well,” Nash said of Harden. “So we’re optimistic that we can have him back at some point.”

Durant rarely has two bad games in a row, and even with his worst scoring performance, his team only lost by three. It is safe to say he and the Nets are still very well in the drivers seat.

How to watch Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA playoffs

The Brooklyn Nets are seen as the most intriguing team in the East. Here is how you can watch their series against the Boston Celtics.

Kevin Durant is back in the NBA playoffs with hopes of securing his third ring since leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder. After missing last season’s playoffs in the bubble, Durant is finally healthy and ready to go with the Brooklyn Nets.

Until recently, Durant has been dealing with COVID-19 issues and injuries all season, only playing in 35 games. As usual, he was a dominant scorer, averaging 26.9 points per game. Add in 7.6 rebounds, and 5.6 points per game, and Durant bounced back nicely from his Achilles injury.

The Nets are seen as the most intriguing team in East thanks to their newly formed Big Three. James Harden and Kyrie Irving have been putting up monster numbers as well. Brooklyn earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and will face off against the Boston Celtics.

You can see the game dates and times (all EST) below:

Game 1 and Game 3 will take place on ABC, while Game 2 and Game 4 will be broadcasted on TNT. If the next three games are necessary, TV information will be determined later.

If the Nets are able to progress, a possible matchup against former Longhorn P.J. Tucker and the Milwaukee Bucks could be in store.

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What’s keeping Greg Brown and Jericho Sims from making a decision?

With the deadline to declare for the 2021 NBA Draft, the Texas Longhorns still haven’t heard anything from Jericho Sims or Greg Brown.

The deadline for players to declare for the upcoming 2021 NBA draft is May 30.

Texas currently has two players that have already announced their decision to declare for the draft in Kai Jones and Matt Coleman III. Courtney Ramey and Andrew Jones have chosen to return to Austin under Chris Beard. 

What about Jericho Sims and Greg Brown? What’s the hold up? There hasn’t been a peep out of either since the season ended as to what their plans for the future are.

At one point, Brown appeared to be a lock as an NBA Lottery pick at the start of the season before his play deteriorated, he started to get more fouls than points or rebounds and fell out of favor in the lineup.

It’s possible that as the season progressed, his draft stock took a hit. The fact that he wasn’t the first Longhorn to declare, despite having the most press, could have caused him to reconsider.

Sims was more of a rotational player to provide points and rebounds off the bench, but started to earn more minutes when the combination of him and Kai Jones proved to be more effective on offense and defense.

Sims’ draft stock likely increased as the season went on, but might not have been enough to get drafted. There haven’t been any major publications that have mocked him in the any of the 60 selections of the draft, so choosing to use that extra year of eligibility is important. 

With new head coach Chris Beard coming into the picture, that might entice either or both to return and take another run at the NCAA Tournament, but the big name transfers that Beard has recently landed likely hasn’t made it any easier for them to decide. You have to remember that Sims and Brown were recruited under former head coach Shaka Smart and have no loyalties to Beard or vice versa. 

Players such as Devin Disu and Timmy Allen coming to Austin via the NCAA transfer portal have already made the rotation a lot better than it was a year ago, regardless of what Brown or Sims ultimately decide.

Brown has only played one collegiate season and Sims has one more year of eligibility. It’s entirely possible they’re also considering the Royce Hamm route and transferring out of Texas. Both would be welcomed additions to plenty of college basketball rosters should they decide to play elsewhere.

Brown and Sims could be looking to gain more playing time under a different regime, but could miss out on the publicity Texas would offer as well as the developmental coaching that Chris Beard brings.

Both players would certainly be welcomed back in Austin, but their time is running short and will need to decide soon before their futures are decided for them.

Texas ex LaMarcus Aldridge retires from the NBA due to health reasons

Texas ex and Brooklyn Nets center LaMarcus Aldridge suddenly announced his retirement via Twitter on Thursday.

The basketball world received some surprising news on Thursday. Continue reading “Texas ex LaMarcus Aldridge retires from the NBA due to health reasons”

All-time starting lineup of former Texas basketball players

Shane Carter lists his all-time starting lineup composed of only former Texas players.

The Texas Longhorns basketball program has had many great players come through the Forty Acres. Continue reading “All-time starting lineup of former Texas basketball players”

How Texas Exes are performing in the NBA this season

The NBA season is underway with 11 different Texas Longhorns playing in the league. Here’s an update on their performances through Jan. 9.

The NBA season is well underway as they tipped off the season opener on Christmas Day. Continue reading “How Texas Exes are performing in the NBA this season”

A look at Kevin Durant performances on Christmas in the NBA

Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets are set to take the floor on Christmas against the Boston Celtics. A look at his Xmas performances.

Christmas Day is a huge day in the NBA and former Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant is no stranger to playing on this day. When the Brooklyn Nets take the floor against the Boston Celtics, it will mark Durant’s 10th appearance on Christmas Day.

Dating back to when Durant came into the league back in 2007, he has only been inactive once on Christmas. That came during the 2014-15 season when he played for Oklahoma City. Now on his third team in his career, Durant will finally make appearance number 10.

Another former Texas Longhorn will be on the court as well with Tristan Thompson suiting up for the Boston Celtics.

A look through the years of Kevin Durant’s performances on Christmas.

Report: No reunion to come for former Texas star Kevin Durant and James Harden

According to some reports, the Brooklyn Nets were interested in securing James Harden. However, it appears that will cost them, Kevin Durant.

In today’s NBA, the big thing has been for stars to unite to make a run at the NBA Finals. Former Texas Longhorn, Kevin Durant is no stranger to that premise. He joined Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green to make a run for back-to-back NBA Championships. Continue reading “Report: No reunion to come for former Texas star Kevin Durant and James Harden”