Kevin Durant Says ‘More And More Animosity’ Between Knicks And Nets Fans Is ‘Good For The Game’

Kevin Durant already broke the hearts of Knicks fans once: when he and Kyrie Irving chose the rival Brooklyn Nets during free agency in 2019.

He broke their hearts again Wednesday night when he authored a brilliant triple-double, the 15th of his career, to lead the Nets back from a 21-point second-half deficit en route to a 110-98 victory at Madison Square Garden. Kyrie Irving added 24 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in his first game this season at the Garden after being after New York City dropped the vaccine mandate. The Nets outscored the Knicks, 60-31, after halftime.

With the win, the Nets (42-38) moved to within one game of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 7 seed in the East. If they win their remaining two games — against Cleveland Friday and Indiana Sunday — they would be the 7 seed and avoid the Play-In Tournament beginning April 12.

Durant knows he and Irving are hated by Knicks fans and he’s fine with it. He wants to see the rivalry grow and hopes the two fan bases grow to dislike each other even more.

“We’re both in the city, we know how much Knick fans don’t like us, especially now in this era of the Nets for us not choosing the Knicks, me and Kyrie,” Durant said after going for 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the win.

“So it definitely adds something to the rivalry and no matter who is on the team, I think it will always be like that in the city, so it’s good to be a part of this. Hopefully the rivalry continues to build and we get more and more animosity between fan bases, it’s only good for the game.”

The Nets have won seven straight against the Knicks, and Durant hasn’t lost to the Knicks since 2013.

“I got something to talk about on twitter now,” he joked.

Despite a lot of smoke that he was considering the Knicks in free agency, Durant has said he was “never” coming to the Knicks because he didn’t want to be their “savior.”

“I didn’t want to be the savior of the Knicks, of New York,” he said in 2020. “I didn’t care about being a King of New York. That never really moved me. I didn’t care about being on Broadway…[and] that shit – I just want to play ball and go to the crib and chill you know.”

He has since signed a 4-year, $198-million extension in Brooklyn.

Irving, meantime, said after the game, “”[The Knicks] had a good chance at getting us back in free agency. But we just felt like we wanted to build here and just make our mark on this franchise”

Though the Nets have struggled through ups and downs this season — including Irving’s non-vaccination status and inability to play home games for much of the season, an injury to Durant and the blockbuster trade of James Harden to the 76ers in February— Brooklyn remains in the playoff mix and will be a team nobody wants to see in the playoffs.

The could face the Heat, Celtics, Bucks or Sixers in the first round depending on how things play out between now and Sunday.

The Knicks, meantime, have regressed from their feel good playoff team of a year ago and are once again headed to the NBA Draft lottery on May 17.

“Imagine the Tweets I’ve been getting since I decided to come the Nets from Knicks fans,” Durant said with a smile. “They still pissed off about the stuff I say, and the little jabs here and there but it’s always love in the streets when I see Knick fans, always love at the games, but it’s a good rivalry to be a part of.

“Everybody who steps in our building is going to realize how big these games are. It felt like a home game to us the last two times in the Garden and it feels like a home game to the Knicks when the come to the Barclays.

“That’s what it’s all about and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Durant said he still gets “little jabs” and “bing bong videos” on Twitter because of his decision to choose the Nets over the Knicks.

“It’s all fun at the end of the day, but people respect my decision, they respect my game, but I understand how big Knicks-Nets is in the city so I’m just trying to embrace it.”