Kevin Durant doesn’t feel the need to prove anything against Patrick Beverley and the “gimmick” defense the LA Clippers are playing.
Durant also disagrees with Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr‘s belief that he “needs to be more agressive.”
KD says he’s not sweating the matchup with Beverley heading into Game 3, with the first-round series deadlocked at 1-1.
Asked Wednesday afternoon whether he would have liked Durant to shoot more than eight times in Game 2, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr didn’t hesitate, saying: “The guy’s the most skilled basketball player on planet Earth. There’s nobody that can do what he does. … Absolutely, he needs to be more aggressive. It’s the playoffs. He can get any shot he wants, any time. I want him to get 20 shots, 30.”
Minutes later, when a reporter relayed Kerr’s comment, Durant bristled, saying: “I’m not going to go out there and just shoot 20 or 30 shots. I don’t play like that.”
As Durant put it Wednesday, “I’m Kevin Durant. You know who I am. Y’all know who I am.”
Beverley, one of the game’s top irritants, baited Durant into at least two fouls. Beverley’s penchant for over-guarding prompted quick shoves from Durant.
“With this series, it’s kind of weird because when a guy’s that small, you’ve got the advantage, but the referees see David and Goliath,” Durant said. “We hear that story a lot growing up, so that story is prominent in people’s minds. When you put that out on the court, the ref’s going to give him a little bit more. So, when he runs up on me, grabs me, holds me, I don’t mind it. That’s how he makes his money. That’s how he feeds his family. But if I throw something back, then let us play. You know what I’m saying?”
Related Kevin Durant: ‘This is Not About Me or Patrick Beverley’
