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Kevin Durant having a big ass foot ultimately altered NBA history. Following an unusual career for a superstar in the NBA, bouncing from team to team, KD looked as if he had found his new home with the Brooklyn Nets. He was supposed to have some superstar roommates in that new crib of his with Kyrie Irving and James Harden tagging along, but because of injuries, Durant mostly found himself alone during the 2021 Conference Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks. And he was carrying his team on his back, putting on a one-man show in a tight seven-game series.
With the clock winding down in Game Seven, Durant looked to end the series and send the Nets to the conference finals — but what looked like a dagger three turned out to be a two as Durant's toe was on the line. The repercussions that followed shifted the NBA. To find out what happens next, we gotta rewind.
With the clock winding down in Game Seven, Durant looked to end the series and send the Nets to the conference finals — but what looked like a dagger three turned out to be a two as Durant's toe was on the line. The repercussions that followed shifted the NBA. To find out what happens next, we gotta rewind.
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00:00It's June 19th, 2021. We're in Brooklyn for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between
00:06the hometown Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. Down 2 points with the clock nearly hitting triple
00:11zeros in overtime, Brooklyn looks ready to finish this. Forget OOT, they're going for the kill to
00:18punch their ticket to the conference finals. But before we see what comes next, my heart,
00:24the hearts of everyone in the crowd and those watching at home have to be racing from what
00:30we witnessed earlier. Okay, I'm out of breath. So to remember why we're still playing and
00:37what it means for everyone here, we need to rewind. Game 7. Some of the most beautiful words spoken in
00:49basketball. This one is especially unique as it's the first do or die game in 15 years
00:55to reach overtime. It's rare. And I promise you, I'm not being dramatic when I say an inch
01:04changed the entire course of this game and why we find ourselves here. Let's meet the
01:10man attached to that big ass foot. Kevin Durant is one of the NBA's most unusual superstars
01:18in the sense that he still seems to be searching for a place to call home. After bursting on the
01:23scene with the hype of signing Nike's second largest rookie endorsement deal, he won Rookie
01:28of the Year with the Seattle Supersonics, then moved with the franchise to Oklahoma City where he
01:33continued to pile up a Hall of Fame resume. All of this before turning 28. Only thing missing was a
01:42ring.
01:43Sooo he shocked the NBA by signing with the Golden State Warriors in free agency, the same team that
01:50just beaten OKC in the 2016 conference finals. Critics called the move cowardly and didn't back off,
01:57even as his resume got thicker. But from a pure hoops perspective, you couldn't knock his game. Dude
02:04was a bucket from anywhere on the floor, even though he did look a little bit goofy at times, constantly
02:10slipping
02:11out of his shoes. Like, a lot. When questioned about it, Katie admitted he rocked a full shoe
02:18size bigger than he normally would while hooping because he simply felt more comfy. Like house
02:24shoes you slip on and off around the crib. Sounds a bit counterintuitive to me on a court, but what
02:31the hell do I know? Did you see his resume? Anyway, Durant and the Dubs chased a three-peat in
02:372019 until a
02:38half injury turned into a torn Achilles in game five of the finals. Durant was set to miss an entire
02:44season, but with that type of firepower, the Warriors would surely get back to prominence when he returned.
02:51Amidst feeling like an outsider in Golden State and other concerns,
02:55Katie actually bolted from the bay and signed with Brooklyn in search of a fresh chapter of his career.
03:00Katie missed his debut season in Brooklyn, but after working out some kinks in his return,
03:05it looked like he'd found his home. The Nets cruised in the first round against the Boston Celtics
03:11with Durant putting up absurd numbers, and this series against the Bucks was no different.
03:17With the series tied in game five, Manns went off for an unprecedented 49-point playoff triple-double
03:24and a massive comeback win. Crazy enough, he might have been even more filthy in this game because of the
03:30mistakes. Durant was surgical on the floor, knocking down what seemed like every type of shot throughout
03:36the game and pushed the Bucks late into the final quarter. He even forced a turnover in the final
03:41seconds, giving Brooklyn the chance to tie or win outright. On their following possession, Durant caught
03:47a deep inbounds pass near the other sideline, drove hard to his left, gathered near the top of the key,
03:53and drained the nasty turnaround jumper. Game. The crowd went nuts. Brooklyn was just a second away
04:02from going to the conference finals. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Why is everyone crowded
04:09around? Shit. On second look, Katie's toe was on the line, a toe that's more than likely pushed to the
04:18front of a shoe that's one size bigger than it actually needs to be. That's the face of agony.
04:25We're headed to OT. Durant struggled a bit in overtime, but it's no surprise his team looked to him
04:31here. He's done it all. Playing every single second, flirting with a 50 ball, and another clutch shot here
04:40could be an early defining chapter in his new home. A home where he was supposed to have superstar
04:47point guard roommates. Durant's desire for new beginnings when joining Brooklyn is an inspiration
04:53to believe in one's self, but it also helps when you plot on that new journey with a championship
04:58winning point guard. Journalists expected Durant and Kyrie Irving to be a dangerous duo for a franchise
05:04reeling after striking out on previous big free agent signings, but the Nets appeared to get even
05:10more powerful as they landed former MVP James Harden in a 2021 blockbuster trade. They became
05:17unquestioned favorites to win the title overnight. On paper, the trio formed arguably one of the most
05:24deadliest big threes in the era of superstars teaming up, but basketball isn't played on paper.
05:30If it was, maybe these guys' bodies would have held up better as the three managed to play a total
05:36of
05:36eight games together throughout the regular season due to injuries and other absences.
05:41They did hit the postseason in full strength, primed to make a deep run,
05:46and after the trio handled Boston with ease, the same was expected against Milwaukee. However,
05:53the injury bug took another bite early. Harden left game one after less than a minute with a hamstring
05:59injury, but Katie and Kyrie were able to hold it down, breezing through the first two games.
06:04The Bucks got their leg back in games three and four, and to make matters worse, the Nets were
06:10set to be without Kyrie for the remainder of the series. Harden ultimately did return in game five,
06:16but clearly wasn't himself in the series, severely inefficient from the field, leaving Durant to carry
06:22the team on his back. It's not just that Katie has been phenomenal, he's had to. Otherwise, Brooklyn would
06:30have long since been gone. And right here, as the lone healthy superstar remaining of the bunch,
06:36Durant has a chance to send the Nets to their first conference finals appearance since 2003.
06:42On the flip side, it's not as if Milwaukee has historically been a dominant force in the conference,
06:48but the team found itself here built a completely different way, with some fresh key additions that can
06:54help put them over the top. While the Nets chased superstars, Milwaukee built around homegrown pieces.
07:03It didn't immediately appear to be the case, but starting in 2013, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Chris
07:09Middleton would lead the charge. Giannis, a 2013 mid first round pick, developed year after year and
07:17fully ascended to god tier status, winning MVP during the 2018-19 season. Middleton joined Milwaukee
07:25beer trade in 2013 after spending a season with Detroit, and like Giannis, continually improved
07:31his game, becoming a reliable second option and an all-star alongside the Greek freak.
07:37The 2018-19 season presented a ship of the franchise as a whole. The org brought in former coach of
07:43the
07:43year Mike Budenhoser and leaned on the defense first approach as they marched to their first
07:48conference finals in nearly two decades, then decided to play their absolute worst ball of the
07:54season, but let's focus on the positives here. This was the beginning of a new era of Bucks ball.
08:02Okay, so a step back really isn't the greatest thing when starting something new. After a COVID-shortened
08:09season ended in disappointment, Milwaukee moved decisively to keep Giannis happy by upgrading
08:15their roster, trading for Drew Holiday in a massive deal that sent Eric Bledsoe to the New Orleans
08:20Pelicans. Milwaukee had built this identity around defense, with Bledsoe playing a pivotal role in
08:26hounding opposing by courts, but the franchise couldn't rely on him offensively, especially as he
08:32sputtered in the postseason. Holiday provided consistent shooting that the team needed around Giannis,
08:37and didn't sacrifice defense, as he was widely regarded as one of the league's best two-way
08:43guards. I mean, if you have an offensive assassin like Katie singing your praises, then you gotta
08:49be doing something right. The moves signaled that Milwaukee was pushing all his chips to the table for
08:54a championship run, but initially, the transition wasn't smooth, as Holiday missed games through the
09:00COVID protocols and struggled to find chemistry with the team. However, post All-Star break, Holiday
09:07found his footing, and Milwaukee felt confident, inking him to a long-term extension. Holiday's
09:13defensive mastery was off the charts, allowing Budenhoser to experiment with different sets as
09:18his guard frequently roamed positions one through four. Blank, it's not normal for someone his size to
09:25be locking up the game's most stout figures on a nightly basis. The franchise felt they were still
09:30evolving with Holiday, and signing him up for the future turned Milwaukee's core into a true big three,
09:35victory, adding both a playmaking threat and perimeter defender of the team lacked in the postseason.
09:41After skating past the Miami Heat in the first round, Holiday helped steady Milwaukee in a rocky
09:46series against Brooklyn, providing a crafty go-ahead layup in Game 3, avoiding falling into a hole that
09:53no NBA team has ever recovered from. With their backs against the ropes in Game 6 at home, Holiday joined
10:00his fellow Big 3 brethren and pouring in 21 points to keep their season alive in a pivotal contest.
10:06It's the type of contributions that show why acquiring Holiday could be a decisive move in Milwaukee,
10:11going from a contender to a legitimate title threat as they entered a crucial Game 7.
10:17The Bucks very well may not have reached this win-or-go-home scenario without Drew,
10:21but this specific matchup was a battle of the top dogs as Giannis went band for band with KD.
10:28The two-time MVP buried through driving lanes, finished at the rim with contact,
10:33and knocked down outside shots despite Brooklyn daring him to shoot.
10:37He carried the Bucks through 3 quarters, but in the 4th, Drew and Chris joined him to withstand KD's tear.
10:45Then, you know, this happened. Giannis had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but that's not gonna get
10:52it done.
10:53Off to OT. After the Nets opened up overtime with the basket, both teams were scoreless for more than
10:593 minutes before Giannis tied it with a clean hook shot over Durant. Brooklyn failed to answer back,
11:05and with under a minute left, Middleton worked the ball from the top of the key and hit a clutch
11:11turnaround jumper to give Milwaukee the lead. After missed shots on both ends, that brings us here.
11:18Durant has been amazing in this game, and another clutch shot would not only help his team advance,
11:24but would solidify a new chapter of his career. It's been a journey that saw him bounce from OKC
11:30to join an already powerful Golden State team and a scheme to build another super squad with Kyrie
11:36in Brooklyn, but he's proved he could do it alone this postseason. KD's been cooking everybody,
11:43but right now he has to get past the guy he described as the best defensive guard in the game.
11:49A dude that Milwaukee mortgaged their future on and viewed as the final piece to get them to
11:54championship glory. Drew shook off a relatively poor outing to turn in a strong 4th quarter when
11:59they needed him most, but getting a stop here is the most important thing for his squad to move on.
12:06With the chance to advance to the conference finals, it all comes down to this. Welcome to a moment in
12:14history.
12:14The red for three comes up with an air ball with three tenths of a second remaining.
12:29Thanks for watching this episode of Rewinder. It's been a minute since I dropped those words,
12:33but so glad to bring it back for y'all to enjoy. We got plenty more for you to check
12:38out,
12:38but even more dope stuff to dive into if you subscribe to our Patreon like all these lovely names in
12:45the credits.
13:08We'll see you next time.
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