Nets forward Kevin Durant has been hounded by the Celtics, including Jayson Tatum, left, and Marcus Smart. John Minchillo/Associated Press
NEW YORK — Kevin Durant’s frustration was on display as the Nets fell into a hole no NBA team has ever climbed out of. The Celtics have prioritized slowing down Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and those efforts have worked perfectly in the first-round series.
It was more of the same Saturday as the Celtics beat the Nets 109-103 at Barclays Center. Brooklyn’s role players were getting buckets, but Durant and Irving were once again slowed down significantly.
“That’s a (expletive) game, man,” Durant said postgame Saturday. “(Expletive) game.”
Durant had 16 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, but he took only 11 shots in 46 minutes.
That was exactly how the Celtics wanted Durant to play: passive.
Irving wasn’t any better with his 16 points and nine assists, shooting just 6 for 17 from the field, including 0 for 7 from 3-point range. Boston’s game plan has been to let other guys feast, choosing to neutralize Irving and Durant.
“I would like to think that what we’re doing is getting in his head and causing him to do the second guessing,” Celtics guard Marcus Smart said of Durant. “You play against one of the greatest players in this world to do this, you can’t let him be comfortable. … It’s a game of rhythm, runs, and we all know he can get into one of the greatest rhythms and runs all by himself, along with Kyrie.”
It was a different kind of Durant on Saturday, but the Celtics should get plenty of credit. Durant said he was too aggressive in Games 1 and 2, so he wanted to play off his teammates more in Game 3. While he did pile up assists and other Nets got going, Durant didn’t impact the game like he’s done throughout his lengthy career.
There were some frustrations that built as Durant said he was overthinking the series and how he wanted to approach the game. While he said there wasn’t much space for him to score Saturday, he thought he should’ve been more aggressive.
The Celtics have rolled with the game plan concocted by Celtics Coach Ime Udoka and his staff. Udoka has stressed the Celtics need to KYP (know your personnel) throughout the season, and the Celtics have bought into those defensive principles.
“I don’t think you can give him or any of the top scorers or stars in this league the same look,” Udoka said. “They adapt and adjust quickly. And seen all the things, so the big piece of it was different matchups, different coverages, and just keeping him off-balance and keeping him guessing.”
Durant has looked pedestrian for the entire series, while Boston’s Jayson Tatum has stepped up on both ends of the court. Tatum has drawn the Durant assignment on defense often and has been part of the Celtics’ equation to frustrate the all-world scorer.
But as Tatum noted after Saturday’s game, it’s a team effort. The Celtics’ defense relies heavily on switches, so Durant has seen lots of different matchups through the opening three games. Grant Williams has been a key to that, and so have Smart, Jaylen Brown and others when it comes to team defense.
“Basketball is when you just flow and you don’t have to think about (expletive), you don’t have to worry about the little stuff,” Durant said. “In my mind, I’m just trying to see how I can help everyone. Sometimes I take myself out the game.”
No team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 deficit. The Celtics can close out the series in Game 4 at 7 p.m. Monday at Barclays Center. Durant has played heavy minutes in all three games, but he said the fatigue hasn’t set in physically.
Durant should and will see the same type of defensive intensity for however long the series goes on. The Celtics will be right on his hip – on and off the ball – as they try to frustrate arguably the most dangerous scorer in the game.
“We knew the task coming in was high against a really good team, and two of the best players to ever do this,” Smart said. “We also knew our defense had the potential to do our best on those guys because of our size and the way we play defense together. It’s definitely something that’s gone the way we have played.”
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