Kevin Durant isn't used to falling short then having to talk about his own struggles. James Harden struggled again, Kyrie Irving wasn't available, Joe Harris or Ben Simmons can't play, Durant wasn't available to play because of his MCL sprain. Sure, things like that have been unfortunate themes for the Brooklyn Nets all season long. But one thing we almost never talk about is Kevin Durant being available to play and struggling. That's a rarity.

And you'll almost never see this. People clowning him on social media? Making fun of Kevin Durant for how he played?! 

But here we are.

After shooting 9 of 24, finishing an with an inefficient 23 points to go with six turnovers, Durant could have made some excuses. He could have steered the conversation towards the officials. The Boston Celtics were permitted to play a physical brand of basketball that was a bit startling for folks who watched KD earn trips to the stripe on similar contact all season long. But on Sunday officials let a lot of handsy-stuff go. Yet the former MVP didn't blame the refs.

He could have talked about how many minutes he's had to log this season. He didn't go there either. Some fans have wondered aloud how this team could have easily dodged a brutal first round matchup in the Celtics had Irving been vaccinated. Then maybe they'd be the ones hosting the Chicago Bulls instead of the Milwaukee Bucks. KD would never bring that stuff up.

He took this one on the chin. He didn't take the blame for falling asleep on the backdoor cut by Jayson Tatum, which led to the spinning game winner. He'll probably see he could have made a better effort defensively when he watches the film. But he did say this about the final play.

“It's a scramble play, they made a couple passes, they was able to find a little crease there at the end, it was hat-quick play,” Durant said. But when assessing his overall performance, he was more than generous in crediting former Nets' assistant Ime Udoka's unit for making his life difficult. And he was his toughest critic.

“I had the most turnovers, six of em,” Nets star Kevin Durant said. “That helps them get on the break. S–t they had what? 14 turnovers too. …we lost by one point, it's just a tough loss man. Hard to just pin point one thing.”

Kyrie Irving was insane in this one. #RamadanKyrie transcended the need for food and water while fasting and finished with 39 points, 4 steals, 6 assists, and 5 boards. He was simply sensational. There's no other way to put it. But he needed more help. It's such a shame they let that Irving effort and performance go to waste.

 

“They did a good job of forcing me away,” Durant continued, “helping in the paint, I just gotta be more fundamental on my moves, feel like some shots went in-and-out for me today but I still gotta be- I played fast, turned the ball [over]  I just gotta slow down and play my game. But they did a good job of making me see bodies.”

The Celtics started the season slow. But they finished as one of the hottest teams in basketball over the final two-thirds of the season. And defense has been their calling card led by potential Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.

“Got some good looks there in the first, second half, but they didn't fall,” Durant said. “Maybe I was rushing a bit. My fundamentals wasn't down. Trying to beat, trying to play it before the help comes, sometimes I rush my shots. but it's about looking at the game and seeing where I can be better individually and shifting my mindset a bit as I start the game, see where I go from there. It's a journey and looking forward to the next game.”

We don't expect Durant to struggle like he did two games in a row. He may have had a lapse or two, but he'll be back. The bigger problem for the Nets is that they're now in a big 1-0 hole. And perhaps even scarier than that: they're apparently going to need superhuman 40-plus minute efforts from both Durant and Irving every game from here on out if they want to win the championship. That is, unless they get more help from within. And that could come from Ben Simmons eventually. But they can't rely on him, as Simmons is still without timetable for return from a herniated disc.

So like Kevin Durant says, they may need to get back to some fundamentals now.