Durant was injured in the game against Heat .
"If possible, I want to play tomorrow. This is where my sense of urgency lies. However, I don't want to rush, I want to make sure that I am 100% recovered."
html In the early morning of November 25, after Brooklyn Nets updated Durant's injury report, Durant himself shared his true feelings and his expectations for returning to the game in an interview.According to the injury update released by the Nets , after evaluating Durant's MCL sprain in his right knee, the team doctor is very satisfied with Durant's recovery progress so far.
Nets officials stated that Durant will continue to strengthen his knee, begin running and on-court basketball activities this week, and will be evaluated again in two weeks.
Can Durant still catch up with the All-Star Game?
did not want to miss the All-Star Game.
continued to rest for two weeks, and then re-evaluated the possibility of returning to the game. For Durant, it meant missing more important games, including the "Battle of the League's First Man" against James .
According to the schedule, the Nets will play against the Lakers at home on January 31. Due to their respective injuries, the last time James and Durant played against each other can be traced back to the " Christmas vs. " on December 26, 2018.
At that time, Durant was still wearing the Warriors jersey, and James left the game due to a left groin strain and only played 21 minutes.
Since the "Christmas Day War" in 2018, James and Durant have only competed together once in the All-Star Game. That was the two became teammates in the 2019 All-Star Game, and Durant won the MVP of that All-Star Game.
Now, when the Nets team doctor gives an assessment of recovery for another two weeks, Durant may even miss the All-Star weekend.
According to information within the Nets, the team may choose to give Durant more recovery time and then let him return on February 25 after All-Star .
However, Durant does not want to miss it - "I want to play (the All-Star Game), I want to be a part of these activities." Durant admitted in an interview that he still hopes to return to the court as soon as possible, especially not wanting to miss some important occasions including the All-Star Game.
"I missed going back to Golden State, my old home. I haven't been back in three years and you watch these things pass you by, so I wanted to be involved in everything. I knew I had to take my time and make sure I recovered and get back on the court."
Irving defense Thompson .
Irving has found himself
Durant's smooth recovery is undoubtedly good news for the Nets. However, if the star star continues to be out for two weeks or even longer, it will still bring more challenges to the Nets.
When Durant left the game with an injury against the Heat, he had missed six games. During this period, in addition to losing to the Celtics, who have the best record in the league, the Nets also lost games against the Thunder and Spurs. Coupled with the loss to the Suns, this wave of four consecutive losses made the outside world begin to look down on the Nets' journey to the championship this year.
However, after four consecutive losses, the Nets seemed to have gradually found a "winner's way" without Durant. They first defeated the Jazz with an 11-point advantage, and then completed a major reversal at the Warriors' home court and won an important victory.
In the two consecutive victories, Irving is undoubtedly the team's most important "key to winning". He scored 48 points, 11 rebounds and 38 points and 9 assists respectively.
Of course, the team's role players finding the right way to play in the absence of Durant is also an important reason why the Nets can get back on track. The performance of
team center Clarkston was particularly eye-catching. According to one statistic, since Durant was injured, Irving and Claxton have played 158 minutes together. In these 158 minutes, the Nets have outscored their opponents by +14.4 points per 100 possessions.
Claxton has been on a roll lately.
This is why when Durant's absence caused the outside world to generally bet on the Nets' ranking and even their playoff prospects, a few American media, including Sports Illustrated, were still optimistic about the Nets. They even believed that the period of Durant's truce may become a "transformation period" for the Nets to compete for the championship.
As "Sports Illustrated" previously predicted, Irving has found a way to cooperate with Durant in the first half of the season, and with Durant's hand feeling stable, Irving has a 39% usage rate at the critical moment when the score difference is within 5 points in the last five minutes of the game, helping the Nets to post a record of 21 wins and 4 losses after a dismal start of 6 wins and 9 losses, and suddenly rose to second place in the Eastern Conference.
Curry can't limit Irving either.
Irving: The Nets' goal is to win
Although the Nets' record has indeed declined and is temporarily ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference, Irving has gradually found a way to "lead the team to win with a single core" in the absence of Durant. One of the key indicators is Irving's three-pointers.
According to statistics, when Irving's three-point shooting percentage reaches or exceeds 40%, the Nets have a record of 15 wins and 1 loss.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself before to become the first choice, second choice, or the main choice." After the reversal and victory over the Warriors in the away game, Irving's words also showed the maturity of his mentality.
"This is just a message to everyone - first choice, second choice, third choice, it doesn't matter, the goal is to win."
"Everyone is in a good mental state now. The source of strength of our team is to support each other. Persistence, always ready to meet the challenges that anyone throws at us. "
's short-term decline in record is not terrible. Compared with the last time Durant was injured for a long time, the Nets are more united and the team's overall competitive state is maintained more ideally. They are still among the top three in winning odds.
This may be why the American "Sports Illustrated" wrote this paragraph - "Injuries are definitely not a good thing, but for the Nets, Durant's absence is a good opportunity. Overcoming adversity in the short term can help them gain the courage to compete for the championship in the long term."
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