Miami Heat: An In-Depth Look & Preview At Brooklyn Matchup
By Isiah Curry
The Miami Heat will have their hands full on Sunday, as everyone does, with Kevin Durant.
Kevin Durant, a multiple time All-Star, two-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, and a former Most Valuable Player award recipient, returned to the Nets lineup earlier this month after missing 23 games due to a hamstring injury. In four games since his return, Durant is averaging 23.8 points per game and is shooting a remarkable 65 percent from the field.
It’s evident that Durant remains as one of the game’s most lethal (and efficient) scorers, even after missing the entire 2019-20 season with an Achilles rupture. The Nets acquired James Harden from the Houston Rockets in January via trade, another Most Valuable Player winner and multiple-time All-Star, who has statistically dominated this league for the last several seasons.
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Despite all of the individual accolades, Harden is yet to claim an NBA title and while he was once a former teammate of Durant’s (Oklahoma City), the closest Harden ever gotten to securing the most coveted prize was in 2012 — ultimately falling to the Miami Heat in five games, sparking the potential “Big Three” dynasty.
Harden remains out with a hamstring injury, but is nearing closer to a return. Though reports have indicated that he will travel to Miami, again, he won’t play.
Because, why not, right?
If you were to believe Durant and Harden were enough talent to garner a championship roster, they also have one final All-Star component in one of the greatest scoring and ball-handling guards who’s ever lived, Kyrie Irving.