There has likely never been a conference semifinal game with more importance than tonight’s Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks winner-take-all Game 7.
One teams championship hopes end here and legacies are on the line.
We've got a Game 7 TONIGHT on TNT 🍿@Bucks vs. @BrooklynNets // 8:30pm ET pic.twitter.com/zAJtF3PBnE
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 19, 2021
The Brooklyn Nets seemed to have the upper hand after Kevin Durant’s game five performance where he scored 49 points and asserted himself as the best player in the world. It was a performance that many thought clinched the series for the Nets, but the Bucks came back in game six with an amazing defensive performance and a dominant game by Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Durant will need to show up big again, as the Nets have already ruled out Kyrie Irving and James Harden is clearly not playing like himself as he has only scored 14 points combined in his two games back.
Although P.J. Tucker has had minimal success guarding Kevin Durant, it will be interesting to see if Antetokounmpo will attempt to go star-on-star. This game can absolutely be detrimental to the legacy of Antetokounmpo, who many are starting to doubt can be the best player on a contending team.
Durant and the Nets on the other hand will be ridiculed so harshly if they do not win the championship this season, regardless of injury, people will remember the team having three elite stars, not who was out. Durant may act as if he does not feel pressure in the moment, but he is certainly a player who occasionally lets fans opinions get in his head.
If the Nets are to win, Durant needs to replicate or even exceed his performance in game five.