{"id":565471,"date":"2021-06-16T12:37:07","date_gmt":"2021-06-16T16:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=565471"},"modified":"2021-06-16T12:37:11","modified_gmt":"2021-06-16T16:37:11","slug":"kevin-durant-just-reminded-us-that-hes-the-greatest-basketball-player-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kevin-durant-just-reminded-us-that-hes-the-greatest-basketball-player-on-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Durant Just Reminded Us That He\u2019s The Greatest Basketball Player On Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkevin-durant-just-reminded-us-that-hes-the-greatest-basketball-player-on-earth%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=565471&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1323790272.jpg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"  style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n<p><span>With<\/span><span> the teammates around him dropping like flies, Kevin Durant was more than just special on Tuesday night \u2014 he was all-time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>His team on the verge of collapse, Durant put the city of Brooklyn on his back, dragging the Nets to a game five victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. It was a performance that won\u2019t be forgotten anytime soon, and a reminder that Durant \u2014 when healthy \u2014 is the most lethal offensive weapon in the game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cYou know, he\u2019s the best player in the world right now,\u201d Milwaukee Bucks star<\/span> <span>Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/span> <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/31641716\/nba-playoffs-2021-kevin-durant-reminded-world-capable-anything-court\">said<\/a>. The two-time MVP would know, pouring in 34 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Behind Durant\u2019s 49 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals, and two blocks \u2014 and 48 minutes \u2014 the Nets were somehow able to take back the series in a 114-108 thriller on Tuesday, overcoming a 20-point deficit in the process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>You might want to take another look at that stat line, because there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll never see it again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>KD was on a different level, knocking down an array of mid-range jumpers, contested threes, and difficult layups. With his Nets down 17 in the third quarter, Durant took over, closing the gap to just six at the end of the third. Announcers Marv Albert and Grant Hill were in a constant state of amazement as the historic performance continued to grow, as was Nets head coach Steve Nash.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cHistoric, historic performance,\u201d Nets coach Steve Nash <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/06\/16\/kevin-durant-delivered-a-truly-historic-game-5-performance\/\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>. \u201cHe played the entire game. He barely missed. It\u2019s ridiculous what he\u2019s able to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe know he\u2019s capable of nights like this but to do it tonight \u2026 we lose Ky [Irving], James is soldiering through his ailments, we\u2019re down bodies, we\u2019re wounded. That\u2019s what makes him one of the all-time greats.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Lost in the shuffle was the amazing effort from James Harden. Out since game one after reaggravating his hamstring injury, Harden was clearly not himself and nowhere near fully healthy. His shooting was abysmal \u2014 1-10 from the field, 0-8 from three \u2014 but it didn\u2019t matter. His mere presence on the floor was the boost the Nets needed in order to regain control of the series. His playmaking \u2014 eight assists \u2014 gave the Nets a badly needed lift offensively and allowed Durant to play off the ball.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Yes. The Daily Wire is covering sports \u2013 without the woke. Want more? <\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe?utm_source=adwords&#038;utm_term=daily%20wire&#038;utm_campaign=Search+-+Daily+Wire+Brand&#038;utm_medium=ppc&#038;hsa_kw=daily%20wire&#038;hsa_ad=432007871445&#038;hsa_src=g&#038;hsa_ver=3&#038;hsa_grp=71680674390&#038;hsa_cam=927227687&#038;hsa_tgt=kwd-316236076046&#038;hsa_acc=6411461344&#038;hsa_mt=p&#038;hsa_net=adwords&#038;gclid=Cj0KCQjw1PSDBhDbARIsAPeTqrfwVNC1MZnI5ZRWdzEbOk3Pjz0oFVeTr7sA8iGOgsyrhbqydkk91vsaAkuXEALw_wcB\"><b><i>Become a member<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Harden was essentially playing on one leg, and the Bucks knew it. As the game progressed, it was clear to all that we wouldn\u2019t be getting the Harden we\u2019re accustomed to, but his two free throws late in the fourth quarter gave the Nets the lead for good, and put him in New York sports lore for his effort.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s the playoffs,\u201d Harden <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/06\/16\/james-harden-is-a-nets-hero-for-playing-on-one-leg\/\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span>, \u201cand my team needed me. Simple.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Harden\u2019s performance was admirable, but the evening was still all about Durant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It wasn\u2019t very long ago when we weren\u2019t sure if Kevin Durant as we knew him would ever be the same. His torn achilles in game five of the 2019 NBA Finals looked like it could be the beginning of the end of his offensive dominance. Even though he took the entire 2020 season off to recover, we\u2019ve never seen an athlete able to return to peak performance after an injury of that magnitude. But then again, we\u2019ve never seen an athlete quite like Durant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He\u2019s a seven-foot guard who can get his shot off whenever he wants. You could see the fear in the Bucks\u2019 eyes as soon as he crossed half-court, with his Nets teammates setting screens at midcourt in order to get him open.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Durant shut all the haters up on Tuesday night. Anyone who discounted his two rings with the Warriors was made a fool on Tuesday. He did it all on his own, his Nets are officially back in control of their second round series, and another NBA Finals appearance for Durant now seems inevitable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>There are performances that leave us in disbelief, so floored by the shot making that we\u2019re unable to come up with words to describe them. Durant gave us one of those performances on Tuesday, and it\u2019s one we\u2019ll be remembering for a long time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to <\/i><i>sports@dailywire.com<\/i><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the teammates around him dropping like flies, Kevin Durant was more than just special on Tuesday night \u2014 he was all-time.\u00a0His team on the verge of collapse, Durant put &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2280441,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1323790272.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Kevin Durant Just Reminded Us That He\u2019s The Greatest Basketball Player On Earth","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-565471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1323790272.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Kevin Durant Just Reminded Us That He\u2019s The Greatest Basketball Player On Earth","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=565471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2280441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=565471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=565471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=565471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}