Bruce Brown is in his fourth NBA season, but Kevin Durant still thinks that he is making rookie mistakes.
After the Brooklyn Nets topped the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday to clinch the No. 7 seed in the East, the Nets forward Brown gave some bulletin-board material to the Boston Celtics, whom Brooklyn will now play in Round 1.
Brown said that the Nets were looking forward to attacking Daniel Theis and Al Horford down low with Celtics rim protector Robert Williams injured.
Bruce Brown: "Them not having Robert Williams is huge. We can attack Theis and Horford in the paint." #Celtics #Nets
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) April 13, 2022
Durant was not happy with his teammate’s comments. He said that Brown was talking with “caffeine pride” and added that it would not be easy to match up against Theis and Horford either.
Kevin Durant wasn't a fan of what Bruce Brown said about the Celtics' bigs at tonight's press conference 😅
"That's caffeine pride talking" pic.twitter.com/9XiziXyQcK
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) April 13, 2022
The former Finals MVP Durant also said that there was no need for Brown to “say s–t like that.” He called on his team to “just go out there and hoop.”
Kevin Durant explains why he wasn't pleased to hear Bruce Brown's comments:
"You don't need to say s**t like that. Let's just go out there and hoop" pic.twitter.com/oNSse4hFyl
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) April 13, 2022
This will be Durant’s 11th time in the playoffs, and he knows there is no need to put yourself at a disadvantage before the series has even started by firing up your opponent. Meanwhile, it will only be the 25-year-old Brown’s third career playoff series. He obviously still has a lot to learn.
The Celtics look like a championship contender and were a better team than the Nets almost all season. It will take plenty for Brooklyn to upset them, especially with the bitter history between the two sides. Brown may have just given Boston even more reason to be amped up as well.
Photo: Oct 11, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) in action against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
