11 Kyrie Irving shoots a basket against the Bucks in 2021 A FIGHT FOR THE FINALS 4
FACTS AT A GLANCE The Nets were formed in 1967 and got their start playing for New Jersey as the New Jersey Americans in the AMERICAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION ABA Superstar JULIUS ERVING led the Nets to two ABA Championships The Nets joined the NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION NBA in 1976 The NETS have never won an NBA title On June 19 2021 the Brooklyn Nets entered their home court They were ready to battle the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals When the playoffs began the Nets looked hard to beat They had three superstar players Kevin Durant Kyrie Irving and James Harden Many fans thought the team would finally win their first NBA Championship The Nets took their first round series against the Boston Celtics in five games But just 43 seconds into Game 1 against the Bucks the Nets were in trouble Harden injured his leg He was sidelined for the first four games of the series Then Irving injured his ankle during Game 4. He was out for the rest of the series All hopes for a win suddenly fell on Durant 5
6 7 During Game 7 Durant never left the court He scored 48 points nearly matching his record breaking 49 points in Game 5. His most amazing play happened in the game's final second With the Nets down by two he scored a 23 foot 7 m jumper Durant was thrilled He thought his three pointer had won the series But the replay showed his toes had been on the three point line Durant had scored only two points tying rather than winning the game In overtime the Bucks took a narrow lead As the clock ticked down Durant had another do or die moment He took his final shot hoping to force another overtime This time though he came up short The Bucks won 115-111 and the Nets were out of the playoffs Longtime Nets fans were disappointed but hardly surprised They were used to the team's many ups and downs over their long history BUE BROOKLYN NETS Durant takes control of a loose ball during the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals
B 7 Durant averaged 35.4 points per game in the 2021 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals 7
