Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant became understandably emotional when talking about the injuries Kyrie Irving and James Harden suffered in the 2021 playoffs.
Durant got extra real, highlighting that he could only wish both stars were with him to play in their bid to lead Brooklyn to the promised land. Unfortunately, Irving and Harden have already been ruled out for Game 5 on Tuesday, with their status moving forward still unknown.
“I feel more for them than for me,” the Nets forward said of Irving and Harden, via Bleacher Report. “It's got nothing to do with me. I wish my brothers were out there playing, I wish they were healthy. … The rest of the guys who are out there healthy enough to play, we gotta come out there and play as hard as we can with possession. That's always been the mindset for us every day is to play focused and disciplined basketball. Nothing changes, but we wish our brothers were out there.”
James Harden has been out since playing less than one minute of their opener against the Bucks. Despite his absence, though, Brooklyn jumped to a 2-0 lead after two dominant performances.
Nonetheless, after the Bucks took Game 3 behind some strong defense, the Nets were hit with another big blow with Kyrie Irving's injury in Game 4. Milwaukee took advantage and went on to win 107-96.
Indeed, as Kevin Durant put it, it's hard not to feel for Irving and Harden amid another set of injuries. After all, it seems like they just can't get rid of the injury bug that has been bothering them for much of the 2020-21 campaign. It is also the reason why the Nets' Big 3 played only a few games together during the regular season.
Amid the injury woes, however, Durant is embracing the challenge of leading the Nets without his All-Star running mates, promising that he will keep going all-out like he usually does.
Durant has a huge task to overcome, but it sure looks like he's more motivated now than ever.
Follow Us
Subscribe