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Magic Johnson: I'm Wondering If Nets' Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving 'Are a Good Fit'
April 24, 2022
Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were once lauded as one of the most dangerous offensive duos in the NBA. But as Brooklyn faces a 3-0 deficit in its first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, one NBA legend is now questioning the star pairing.
Hall of Famer Magic Johnson took to Twitter on Sunday and revealed he's "wondering if Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are a good fit" after seeing how they performed in the first three games against Boston.
Durant's struggles against the Celtics have been the major storyline of the matchup between two teams with championship aspirations. After scoring just 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting in Saturday's 109-103 loss in Game 3, he's shooting just 36.5 percent (19-of-52) in the series while also committing 12 turnovers in three games.
"I was just thinking too much to be honest, this whole series," Durant told reporters after the game. "Like how I approach the game. We got another game to play, another opportunity, and I'm looking forward to that."
The Nets have endured a tumultuous season, partly due to Irving. He missed a large portion of the season because he refused to adhere to New York City's vaccine mandate. He initially played in only road games when he rejoined the team midway through the season before the mandate was amended toward the end of the regular season.
Durant also suffered a sprained MCL in February that cost him a chunk of the year. The Nets have also been dealing with the prolonged absence of Ben Simmons, who hasn't played since being acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in the blockbuster James Harden trade.
After Saturday's loss, Irving insinuated that the Celtics have more chemistry than the Nets because of the lack of time Brooklyn has had together as a full roster.
"The team in the other locker room is jelling at the right time. They've been jelling since Christmas," Irving said. "So, for us, we're just in a new experience as a group, and we just got to respect that. ... I don't want to be too cliche, but I don't have a lot of answers for how you make up time from October until now when usually teams will be jelling, and things would be feeling good."
After entering the season with hopes of competing for a spot in the NBA Finals, the Nets are facing the possibility of being swept on their home floor in Monday's Game 4.