Ex-Nets Star Durant Has Top-10 Elimination-Game Performance

Kevin Durant 48-point Game 7 performance in the Brooklyn Nets' second-round loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 earned recognition as a top-10 showing in an elimination game.

Durant's carry job left its mark on NBA history with one of the biggest "What-if" shots.

He nailed a turnaround deep mid-range shot to tie the game with one second left. His toe was inches over the 3-point line, which would've won the series for Brooklyn.

The Nets would've advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 2002-03 season during the Jason Kidd era and would have met Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.

Durant averaged 35.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists throughout the series. He made NBA history in Game 5 with a 49-point, 17-rebound, and 10-assist triple-double, becoming the first player to record that stat line.

Brooklyn's star had the best scoring playoffs of his career, averaging 34.3 points in 12 games. It was the franchise's best opportunity to make a deep playoff run, and it fizzled out in overtime.

The Boston Celtics swept the Nets in the first round the following postseason. An embarrassing exit marked the end of the Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden trio.

General manager Sean Marks traded Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, Durant to the Phoenix Suns and Irving to the Dallas Mavericks.

Durant hasn't achieved much playoff success since leaving Brooklyn. He made the second round in 2023 after being traded to Phoenix, but was eliminated by the Denver Nuggets.

The Minnesota Timberwolves swept the Suns in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, and missed the postseason in 2025.

Phoenix traded him to the Houston Rockets last offseason, and Houston got eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. He nursed a right knee contusion and left ankle bone bruise that limited him to one game in a six-game series.

Durant had all the talent in the world alongside him in Brooklyn, but couldn't make it a deep postseason run. The 38-year-old acknowledged the Nets were the most talented team he played on.

Marks was fully committed to gunning for championships. He signed Durant to multiple $150 million-plus contract extensions, making him the NBA's highest-earning player in history before Steph Curry surpassed him.

Brooklyn has missed the playoffs every season since trading the trio, and is on a tumultuous path back to the postseason with Michael Porter Jr., Julius Randle and Mikel Brown Jr.