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Kevin Durant has gotten used to life in The Big Apple. He has also perhaps gotten used to the unique feeling that most of the basketball fans where he lives still aren't over the fact he snubbed their favorite team, the New York Knicks, for the much newer NYC basketball team, the Brooklyn Nets. And, apparently, it makes for an interesting dynamic when he spends time in the area. Would you talk trash to Easy Money Sniper if you spotted him walking down 7th Avenue?
After leading a 21-point comeback over the shorthanded and lottery-bound Knicks, Durant dished on the vibes he encounters regarding the Knicks-Nets rivalry.
“We're both in the city [Kyrie Irving and I]. We know how much Knicks fans, they don't like us. Especially now in this era of the Nets, us not choosing the Knicks, me and Kyrie … it's a fun rivalry, hopefully it continues to build, we get more and more animosity between the fan bases. It's going to be good for the game.”
"We know how much Knicks fans, they don't like us. Especially now in this era of the #Nets, us not choosing the #Knicks me and Kyrie….it's a fun rivalry, hopefully it continues to build, we get more and more animosity btw the fan bases.
-Kevin Durant on Knicks-Nets rivalry pic.twitter.com/bb99N7oMnt
— DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) April 7, 2022
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Durant had 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists for the triple-double. He really got cooking down the stretch as the Nets turned up the heat on the home team and their fans, though the Brooklyn Brigade was still audible. 23-year-old big man Jericho Sims played well for the Knicks and highlighted some of the challenges the Nets have when defending versatile big men, but then Steve Nash countered with a small-ball lineup and the game flipped.
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Durant continued sharing little nuggets about the local jabs he gets from passionate Knicks fans coping with the fact he didn't choose them in free agency three years ago.
“Imagine the tweets I've been getting since I decided to come to the Nets,” Durant said. “Knick fans, they still pissed off about stuff I say, little jabs here and there. But like I say, it's always love in the streets when I see Knicks fans, always love at the games, but it's a good rivalry to be a part of. Everybody who steps in our building gonna realize how big these games are. Felt like a home game to us, last two times in the Garden, and it feels like a home game to the Knicks when they come to Barclays, so that's what basketball is all about and I'm grateful to be a part of it.”
So what type of stuff does he get?
“When I'm on social media it's still little jabs, bing bong videos,” KD said with a laugh. “People respect my decision and they respect my game but I understand how big Knicks-Nets is in the city, so just trying to embrace it.”
Kevin Durant says it's mostly love in the streets when he meets Knicks fans but sometimes on social media he gets little jabs, or "bing bong videos" sent to him.
🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/eiJLRRI4Ff— DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) April 7, 2022
The Nets are the lone relevant team in New York right now, even if most of the locals aren't happy about it.
