This won’t be the first time Kevin Durant and the Nets square off against the Celtics in the NBA playoffs.
The Atlantic Division rivals also met in the first round last season. Brooklyn made quick work of Boston, as it only needed five games to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Durant on Thursday was asked about last year’s Celtics-Nets playoff matchup, and the star forward stressed its insignificance to this season’s showdown.
“I mean they got, what, six or seven new players on their team, right? I’m not even thinking about last season,” Durant told reporters, per a clip shared on Twitter by SNY. “That (expletive) didn’t even enter anybody’s minds. That (expletive) was so long ago. Like, one of our coaches is their coach now. It don’t even make sense to look at that series. Yeah, I forgot all about that series.”
Durant is saying all the right things heading into this best-of-seven set. The same can’t be said for Nets teammate Bruce Brown, who caught the ire of KD for giving the Celtics bulletin-board material. All signs point to Boston looking like a very motivated bunch when the sides kick off the series Sunday.
Tipoff for Game 1 at TD Garden is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.
