The Boston Celtics on Wednesday night seized a 2-0 lead in their first-round NBA playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets by overcoming a 17-point deficit at TD Garden.
One of the biggest factors in Boston's back-to-back victories: stopping Kevin Durant.
Durant scored a game-high 27 points in Game 2 but shot just 4-for-17 from the field, including 0-for-10 in the second half, as the Celtics pulled off a 114-107 win.
The C's have put on a defensive clinic against Durant by imposing their will physically, and NBA insider Brian Windhorst explained Thursday on ESPN's "Get Up" that Boston head coach Ime Udoka deserves a ton of credit for slowing down one of the best scorers in league history. Udoka is very familiar with Durant, both from his playing days and his time coaching in the NBA.
"Ime Udoka has put in 10,000 hours on Kevin Durant," Windhorst said. "He played against (Durant) as a player. When he was on the Spurs staff, he played against him in the playoffs when (Durant) was with the Thunder, he played against him in the playoffs when (Durant) was with the Warriors. Last year, he was an assistant coach with the Nets. Then, he was Team USA's assistant coach, where Durant was on that team. Now, he switches over here. He has gone through, year after year after year, playoff series after playoff series, figuring out what you can do with Kevin Durant. So, he's developed a game plan.
"And as I said, he now has personnel like we've never seen before against him. You put that full package together and you are seeing a defensive masterpiece -- to this point. Because if Ime was standing here right now, he would tell you, 'I have seen this enough to know that Kevin can come back like a lion in Games 3 and 4.' "
Udoka played parts of seven seasons in the NBA, most recently with the Spurs in 2010-11. He then joined Gregg Popovich's coaching staff in San Antonio, before making stops with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Nets en route to replacing Brad Stevens as Boston's head coach this season.
The 44-year-old has been around the game for a while, and Durant has been a frequent opponent, as Windhorst mentioned. So, if there's anyone equipped to stop the 12-time All-Star, it could be Udoka, especially with the Celtics having the roster to play lockdown defense.
All told, the Celtics can't take their foot off the gas. The series shifts to Brooklyn for Game 3 on Saturday night, and continuing to rattle Durant will be crucial to Boston's continued success.
