Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving taking shots at Knicks postgame continues to fuel rivalry

Apr 6, 2022; New York, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets power forward Kevin Durant (7) looks to make a move against New York Knicks shooting guard RJ Barrett (9) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 6, 2022; New York, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets power forward Kevin Durant (7) looks to make a move against New York Knicks shooting guard RJ Barrett (9) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Ah, a tale as old as time. The New York Knicks have a disappointing year and fans turn their attention to a star player that’s supposed to sign with the team during the offseason. Remember when New York was linked to Kyrie Irving? And Kevin Durant?

Hands down, if Durant would’ve opted for the Knicks over the Nets, which according to him was never a thought that crossed his mind, New York City would’ve erupted. Instead, KD chose to team up with Irving in Brooklyn.

Durant signed a four-year, $164 contract with the Nets on Jun. 30, 2019. Due to his ruptured Achilles that he suffered shortly before that in the NBA Finals, he didn’t make his debut until Dec. 22, 2020. Not only has he not lost to the Knicks since that day, but he hasn’t lost to New York since 2013.

On Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, Brooklyn was down by as many as 21 points in the third quarter, but the Nets left the court at the end of the game with the 110-98 win.

Afterward, Durant, who scored a game-high 32 points, reflected on his free agency period back in 2019.

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving talk about not joining the New York Knicks.

Clearly, Knicks fans are still a bit upset about KD signing with that other team across the river. Durant’s an active Twitter user, so you know that he keeps an eye on the thousands of tweets that are directed his way daily.

While New York fans still give the 12-time All-Star a hard time about not joining the Knicks, it’s a sign of respect that KD views New York-Brooklyn as a rivalry. With the two teams sharing the same city, that might seem obvious, but Durant’s yet to lose to his team’s rival.

Meanwhile, Irving played in his first game against the Knicks as a Net. With over a minute left to play in the game, the point guard waved goodbye to the New York fans at MSG.

Afterward, the point guard elaborated on why he and Durant decided to combine forces in Brooklyn a few years ago.

Enough, Knicks fans get it. It won’t do any good to think about what could’ve been, and after all, New York has its own budding star in RJ Barrett. Sure, the Knicks have already been eliminated from the playoffs, but they have an exciting young core.

The Nets might have both Durant and Irving, but they’ve struggled to make it to the play-in tournament. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they didn’t advance to the first round of the playoffs, either. For now, Brooklyn’s duo may think that they’ve gotten the last laugh, but they shouldn’t be so sure.