Nets' Kevin Durant Calls out Bruce Brown's Comments on Celtics

Bruce Brown provided an early preview of how the Brooklyn Nets might attack the Boston Celtics in the first round of their Eastern Conference playoff matchup, telling reporters it was "huge" that Celtics big man Robert Williams would miss the series and that the Nets would "attack [Daniel] Theis and [Al] Horford in the paint."

The comments did not sit well with Kevin Durant. 

"We respect our opponents," Durant told reporters. "We don't need to talk about what we're going to do to them. I just don't like that. But that's just how Bruce is. He keeps the same energy throughout the whole season. But we don't need to say s--t like that. Let's just go out there and hoop."

Durant added that Brown's comments were "caffeine pride talking" and that Theis and Horford "can do the same stuff" as Williams on the court. 

The 25-year-old Brown was coming off an excellent performance in Brooklyn's 115-108 play-in tournament over the Cleveland Cavaliers, putting up 18 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals in 40 minutes. 

So Brown might have been feeling himself a little after the win, which clinched a first-round matchup with the Celtics. But he also provided Boston with a bit of the proverbial bulletin-board material, comments Durant quickly looked to defuse. 

Brown wasn't the only Nets player looking ahead to the series with Boston. Kyrie Irving spoke about the matchup as well in his postgame presser. 

"It starts with really slowing Jayson Tatum down," Irving noted of the matchup. "He has a great feel playing against us, everyone else around is very complementary to that attack.”

The last time the Nets faced Boston, on March 6, Tatum put 54 on them in a 126-120 win. The Celtics won the season series 3-1. 

"I mean we can't let Tatum get 50," Brown told reporters about the matchup before noting that the team could attack Horford and Theis, irking Durant in the process.