feature-image

USA Today via Reuters

feature-image

USA Today via Reuters

In the realm of basketball, the enigmatic moves of the superstars make them the player to watch out for. To the fans, it becomes a source of joy, but to the opposition team; it brings misery and concern. A Philadelphia 76ers guard had to go through the latter as he had the task of guarding 6?10 Kevin Durant once.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

The NBA star revealed insights into his approach to guarding the 2-time champion. His long-winded answer enriched the listeners with key details about the preparations for the games.

ADVERTISEMENT

How did the 76ers guard defend against Kevin Durant?

In the latest episode of Actually Me?from GQ Sports, Patrick Beverley shared his experience of guarding Durant. During his Los Angeles Clippers days back in 2019, the team faced the star-studded Golden State Warriors.

“We talked about the playoff series,”?Beverley mentioned as he took up the challenge and, “told coach, man gimme KD.”

ADVERTISEMENT

The 35-year-old rehearsed the potential matchup situations with his?“homie like 5’9.” His friend?“stand on couch”?to match “kinda KD height” as Patrick attempted to find solutions for their game.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

“I can’t give him power cause he gonna shoot right over me,” he highlighted as part of his approach to guarding Kevin.

“The key to that game was being aggressive as s**t,” the 6’2 guard added as he turned the scenario into his advantage. He understood that the “refs wasn’t gonna call a ton of fouls” as the league wanted it to be a “buildup from each series.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Read More: ?Going to Get Bullied by Jokic or AD?: Unhappy Warriors Fans Slam Stephen Curry and Co for Harsh Dwight Howard Decision

Beverley benefited from that aspect as he kept on fouling the forward throughout the initial matches of the series. He wanted to use his “strength” and his “lower body on his lower body”?to limit the abilities of the 13-time All-Star.

ADVERTISEMENT

It worked to a certain extent but what happened next became a part of NBA’s history.

Was the plan a success?

ADVERTISEMENT

Patrick was able to hamper Durant’s natural game a bit in the first two matches. The Warriors star failed to meet his expected standards as the series tired 1-1. Beverley’s continuous taunts alongside his antics paid off – before all hell broke loose.

The 2014 MVP dominated the floor for the next four matches as his team won the series 4-2. Kevin became the top scorer in all of those games. In the last match, he scored 50 points to become the joint second player on the list of highest-ever points in Game 6 history.

Watch This Story: ?Without Kevin Durant, LeBron (James) Got Steph in His Back Pocket?: Ex-Teammates Give Lakers Superstar an Upper Edge for 5th Ring

ADVERTISEMENT

Thus, Patrick eventually failed to make the unexpected happen. But he certainly had no shame in that. Afterall, he was guarding Kevin Durant.

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Sourav Bose

355 Articles

Sourav is a detail-oriented NBA content writer at EssentiallySports. His passion for the game of basketball was ignited by none other than the captivating duo of Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr. As he delved into the illustrious history of the NBA, his fascination grew exponentially. Enthralled by ''The Last Dance', Sourav eagerly immerses himself in NBA-related narratives, movies, books, and documentaries, a dedicated effort to stay abreast of the latest developments in the basketball world.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Aayush Kapoor

ADVERTISEMENT