There are just 10 games remaining in the 2021-22 regular season, and the Brooklyn Nets may be down but they're not out. Part of every opponent's game plan will be trying to limit Kevin Durant in order to keep this team from making a big push and gain critical momentum. Remember, the longer this Nets team can stay afloat, the more time they have to potentially get Kyrie Irving back on a full-time basis and let Ben Simmons heal from his back issue.

But if part of the strategy for an opponent is to get inside Nets star Kevin Durant's head by talking trash and throwing him off, they may want to reconsider.

“You can't talk to him. I don't know why people were talking to him,” Bruce Brown said about the Utah Jazz players talking trash to KD. “Just don't, don't get him going, you don't want to get him going.”

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Durant finished with 37 points to go with nine rebounds and eight assists in a 114-106 win over the Jazz on Monday. He shot a blistering hot 15-of-23 from the floor and 4-of-7 from 3-point range. At one point, Durant made the “too tiny” gesture toward Jazz wing Royce O'Neal. Easy Money was in his bag and happy to dole out a little taunting of his own.

Durant was asked if he was more riled up than usual, egging on the crowd, etc. But he didn't agree there was anything out of the ordinary.

“I mean, ya'll say that every game, it's part of just who I am at this point,” Durant said with a sly grin. “I'm always riled up, I like playing. I enjoy the competition that's out there, that's one of the best teams in the league [Utah], got some great players on this team, they bring the best out of you.”

Donovan Mitchell is one of those players, and he finished with 30 points with three dimes. Rudy Gobert is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and a favorite to repeat for that honor in 2022 wasn't enough to slow down Slim Reaper. In fact, he represented a matchup the Nets may have wanted to target. 

So, what about this new “too tiny” taunt? The Nets star also did it to New York Knicks wing Evan Fournier recently en route to 53 points.

“Ya'll just started seeing it, people lately just focusing on me a little bit more lately I guess,” Durant said with a mischievous smile.

He's seemingly claiming he has done it a lot and we're only just paying attention to him? Ummm, we don't know what to tell you KD, it's not like you weren't a star with Oklahoma or Golden State. But OK, it's nothing new.

After the win, Bruce Brown revealed that he personally loves talking trash but that it's not common in the NBA. Brown has been playing some of his best basketball of the season at this critical juncture. He finished with 22 points, seven boards, and five assists.

“I love trash talk, that gets me going for sure, but not a lot of people trash talk in the league,” Brown shared.

But Durant actually wanted the Jazz to talk trash to him.

“Kev actually said that he wanted them to talk to him and [the Jazz players] weren't saying anything
”

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Once KD came to the postgame presser, he was asked if it fuels him to mix it up during games.

“Yeah, it's fun. I think that's just part of the game,” Durant said. “I think that's the true essence of the game is that dialogue that goes on around the court. We all seen it and playing in the black tops and in the high school gyms, that conversation around the court is always fun and always positive. I mean it's always a good vibe, you know? Sometimes I like to indulge in that while I'm playing.”

If you're a defender and you're listening, probably don't talk trash to Durant since it does seem to bring out the best in him. You remember the electric atmosphere in Philadelphia, where he and Joel Embiid were seen jawing and the crowd was in a frenzy set to boo Ben Simmons? It wasn't even a game by halftime. That's how lethal KD and Kyrie were for the Nets in that game. Durant appears to thrive in a bit of a villain's role, sending opposing fans home disappointed.

On the other hand, it sounds like the Jazz weren't saying much and that didn't work out too well for them either. Maybe there's no winning. Durant passed Jerry West on the all-time scoring list and has Reggie Miller in his sights next. Reggie was another guy who thrived by talking trash and sending Knicks fans home feeling crushed.

Like KD says, talking smack is a part of the game he likes to indulge in sometimes. Be careful if you indulge back.