00:00It's June 19th, 2021. We're in Brooklyn for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between
00:06the hometown Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. Down 2 points with the clock nearly hitting triple
00:11zeros in overtime, Brooklyn looks ready to finish this. Forget OOT, they're going for the kill to
00:18punch their ticket to the conference finals. But before we see what comes next, my heart,
00:24the hearts of everyone in the crowd and those watching at home have to be racing from what
00:30we witnessed earlier. Okay, I'm out of breath. So to remember why we're still playing and
00:37what it means for everyone here, we need to rewind. Game 7. Some of the most beautiful words spoken in
00:49basketball. This one is especially unique as it's the first do or die game in 15 years
00:55to reach overtime. It's rare. And I promise you, I'm not being dramatic when I say an inch
01:04changed the entire course of this game and why we find ourselves here. Let's meet the
01:10man attached to that big ass foot. Kevin Durant is one of the NBA's most unusual superstars
01:18in the sense that he still seems to be searching for a place to call home. After bursting on the
01:23scene with the hype of signing Nike's second largest rookie endorsement deal, he won Rookie
01:28of the Year with the Seattle Supersonics, then moved with the franchise to Oklahoma City where he
01:33continued to pile up a Hall of Fame resume. All of this before turning 28. Only thing missing was a
01:42ring.
01:43Sooo he shocked the NBA by signing with the Golden State Warriors in free agency, the same team that
01:50just beaten OKC in the 2016 conference finals. Critics called the move cowardly and didn't back off,
01:57even as his resume got thicker. But from a pure hoops perspective, you couldn't knock his game. Dude
02:04was a bucket from anywhere on the floor, even though he did look a little bit goofy at times, constantly
02:10slipping
02:11out of his shoes. Like, a lot. When questioned about it, Katie admitted he rocked a full shoe
02:18size bigger than he normally would while hooping because he simply felt more comfy. Like house
02:24shoes you slip on and off around the crib. Sounds a bit counterintuitive to me on a court, but what
02:31the hell do I know? Did you see his resume? Anyway, Durant and the Dubs chased a three-peat in
02:372019 until a
02:38half injury turned into a torn Achilles in game five of the finals. Durant was set to miss an entire
02:44season, but with that type of firepower, the Warriors would surely get back to prominence when he returned.
02:51Amidst feeling like an outsider in Golden State and other concerns,
02:55Katie actually bolted from the bay and signed with Brooklyn in search of a fresh chapter of his career.
03:00Katie missed his debut season in Brooklyn, but after working out some kinks in his return,
03:05it looked like he'd found his home. The Nets cruised in the first round against the Boston Celtics
03:11with Durant putting up absurd numbers, and this series against the Bucks was no different.
03:17With the series tied in game five, Manns went off for an unprecedented 49-point playoff triple-double
03:24and a massive comeback win. Crazy enough, he might have been even more filthy in this game because of the
03:30mistakes. Durant was surgical on the floor, knocking down what seemed like every type of shot throughout
03:36the game and pushed the Bucks late into the final quarter. He even forced a turnover in the final
03:41seconds, giving Brooklyn the chance to tie or win outright. On their following possession, Durant caught
03:47a deep inbounds pass near the other sideline, drove hard to his left, gathered near the top of the key,
03:53and drained the nasty turnaround jumper. Game. The crowd went nuts. Brooklyn was just a second away
04:02from going to the conference finals. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Why is everyone crowded
04:09around? Shit. On second look, Katie's toe was on the line, a toe that's more than likely pushed to the
04:18front of a shoe that's one size bigger than it actually needs to be. That's the face of agony.
04:25We're headed to OT. Durant struggled a bit in overtime, but it's no surprise his team looked to him
04:31here. He's done it all. Playing every single second, flirting with a 50 ball, and another clutch shot here
04:40could be an early defining chapter in his new home. A home where he was supposed to have superstar
04:47point guard roommates. Durant's desire for new beginnings when joining Brooklyn is an inspiration
04:53to believe in one's self, but it also helps when you plot on that new journey with a championship
04:58winning point guard. Journalists expected Durant and Kyrie Irving to be a dangerous duo for a franchise
05:04reeling after striking out on previous big free agent signings, but the Nets appeared to get even
05:10more powerful as they landed former MVP James Harden in a 2021 blockbuster trade. They became
05:17unquestioned favorites to win the title overnight. On paper, the trio formed arguably one of the most
05:24deadliest big threes in the era of superstars teaming up, but basketball isn't played on paper.
05:30If it was, maybe these guys' bodies would have held up better as the three managed to play a total
05:36of
05:36eight games together throughout the regular season due to injuries and other absences.
05:41They did hit the postseason in full strength, primed to make a deep run,
05:46and after the trio handled Boston with ease, the same was expected against Milwaukee. However,
05:53the injury bug took another bite early. Harden left game one after less than a minute with a hamstring
05:59injury, but Katie and Kyrie were able to hold it down, breezing through the first two games.
06:04The Bucks got their leg back in games three and four, and to make matters worse, the Nets were
06:10set to be without Kyrie for the remainder of the series. Harden ultimately did return in game five,
06:16but clearly wasn't himself in the series, severely inefficient from the field, leaving Durant to carry
06:22the team on his back. It's not just that Katie has been phenomenal, he's had to. Otherwise, Brooklyn would
06:30have long since been gone. And right here, as the lone healthy superstar remaining of the bunch,
06:36Durant has a chance to send the Nets to their first conference finals appearance since 2003.
06:42On the flip side, it's not as if Milwaukee has historically been a dominant force in the conference,
06:48but the team found itself here built a completely different way, with some fresh key additions that can
06:54help put them over the top. While the Nets chased superstars, Milwaukee built around homegrown pieces.
07:03It didn't immediately appear to be the case, but starting in 2013, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Chris
07:09Middleton would lead the charge. Giannis, a 2013 mid first round pick, developed year after year and
07:17fully ascended to god tier status, winning MVP during the 2018-19 season. Middleton joined Milwaukee
07:25beer trade in 2013 after spending a season with Detroit, and like Giannis, continually improved
07:31his game, becoming a reliable second option and an all-star alongside the Greek freak.
07:37The 2018-19 season presented a ship of the franchise as a whole. The org brought in former coach of
07:43the
07:43year Mike Budenhoser and leaned on the defense first approach as they marched to their first
07:48conference finals in nearly two decades, then decided to play their absolute worst ball of the
07:54season, but let's focus on the positives here. This was the beginning of a new era of Bucks ball.
08:02Okay, so a step back really isn't the greatest thing when starting something new. After a COVID-shortened
08:09season ended in disappointment, Milwaukee moved decisively to keep Giannis happy by upgrading
08:15their roster, trading for Drew Holiday in a massive deal that sent Eric Bledsoe to the New Orleans
08:20Pelicans. Milwaukee had built this identity around defense, with Bledsoe playing a pivotal role in
08:26hounding opposing by courts, but the franchise couldn't rely on him offensively, especially as he
08:32sputtered in the postseason. Holiday provided consistent shooting that the team needed around Giannis,
08:37and didn't sacrifice defense, as he was widely regarded as one of the league's best two-way
08:43guards. I mean, if you have an offensive assassin like Katie singing your praises, then you gotta
08:49be doing something right. The moves signaled that Milwaukee was pushing all his chips to the table for
08:54a championship run, but initially, the transition wasn't smooth, as Holiday missed games through the
09:00COVID protocols and struggled to find chemistry with the team. However, post All-Star break, Holiday
09:07found his footing, and Milwaukee felt confident, inking him to a long-term extension. Holiday's
09:13defensive mastery was off the charts, allowing Budenhoser to experiment with different sets as
09:18his guard frequently roamed positions one through four. Blank, it's not normal for someone his size to
09:25be locking up the game's most stout figures on a nightly basis. The franchise felt they were still
09:30evolving with Holiday, and signing him up for the future turned Milwaukee's core into a true big three,
09:35victory, adding both a playmaking threat and perimeter defender of the team lacked in the postseason.
09:41After skating past the Miami Heat in the first round, Holiday helped steady Milwaukee in a rocky
09:46series against Brooklyn, providing a crafty go-ahead layup in Game 3, avoiding falling into a hole that
09:53no NBA team has ever recovered from. With their backs against the ropes in Game 6 at home, Holiday joined
10:00his fellow Big 3 brethren and pouring in 21 points to keep their season alive in a pivotal contest.
10:06It's the type of contributions that show why acquiring Holiday could be a decisive move in Milwaukee,
10:11going from a contender to a legitimate title threat as they entered a crucial Game 7.
10:17The Bucks very well may not have reached this win-or-go-home scenario without Drew,
10:21but this specific matchup was a battle of the top dogs as Giannis went band for band with KD.
10:28The two-time MVP buried through driving lanes, finished at the rim with contact,
10:33and knocked down outside shots despite Brooklyn daring him to shoot.
10:37He carried the Bucks through 3 quarters, but in the 4th, Drew and Chris joined him to withstand KD's tear.
10:45Then, you know, this happened. Giannis had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but that's not gonna get
10:52it done.
10:53Off to OT. After the Nets opened up overtime with the basket, both teams were scoreless for more than
10:593 minutes before Giannis tied it with a clean hook shot over Durant. Brooklyn failed to answer back,
11:05and with under a minute left, Middleton worked the ball from the top of the key and hit a clutch
11:11turnaround jumper to give Milwaukee the lead. After missed shots on both ends, that brings us here.
11:18Durant has been amazing in this game, and another clutch shot would not only help his team advance,
11:24but would solidify a new chapter of his career. It's been a journey that saw him bounce from OKC
11:30to join an already powerful Golden State team and a scheme to build another super squad with Kyrie
11:36in Brooklyn, but he's proved he could do it alone this postseason. KD's been cooking everybody,
11:43but right now he has to get past the guy he described as the best defensive guard in the game.
11:49A dude that Milwaukee mortgaged their future on and viewed as the final piece to get them to
11:54championship glory. Drew shook off a relatively poor outing to turn in a strong 4th quarter when
11:59they needed him most, but getting a stop here is the most important thing for his squad to move on.
12:06With the chance to advance to the conference finals, it all comes down to this. Welcome to a moment in
12:14history.
12:14The red for three comes up with an air ball with three tenths of a second remaining.
12:29Thanks for watching this episode of Rewinder. It's been a minute since I dropped those words,
12:33but so glad to bring it back for y'all to enjoy. We got plenty more for you to check
12:38out,
12:38but even more dope stuff to dive into if you subscribe to our Patreon like all these lovely names in
12:45the credits.
13:08We'll see you next time.
