NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant admitted Saturday night that he has been “thinking too much” during the first-round series against the Boston Celtics and that it has been a factor in his poor play.
After being limited to 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting in a 109-103 loss, he put the Nets in a 0-3 hole in the series. Durant shoots 36.5% (19 of 52) from the field in three straight losses.
“I was overthinking it to be honest, this whole series,” Durant said. “I like how I approach the game. We’ve got another game to play, another opportunity, and I’m looking forward to it.”
After averaging more than 30 points per game through March and April, Durant is putting up just 22 points per game through the first three games of this series. The Celtics have made an effort to be physical with Durant and have thrown him body after body to slow him down.
“I feel like the first couple of games he was trying to be too aggressive,” Durant said. “I felt like I was still trying to force the first two games and watching video, a lot of my teammates were open and they were making shots, so I felt like my focus of this game was to play everyone – get into the flow of the offense. and let the ball move and find me.
Durant said part of the reason the Celtics have been so successful against him is because “they’re bigger than us.” He also reflected after Saturday’s loss and acknowledged that this is not the first time in his career that he feels he was thinking too much on the floor.
“Every team I’ve been on, you’re just trying to figure out the best way to play,” Durant said. “When you also have good teammates around you, you’re trying to figure out, trying to figure out how I can be the best version of myself and also not get in the way of my teammates. Sometimes I think about that too much.”
“I feel like I prepared myself in the right way. It’s a matter of small decisions in the game that may not go in my favor. I thought I found my teammates better than in the last two games. I just need to score more.”
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