Knicks, rest of NBA see Kevin Durant’s return to greatness

MILWAUKEE — Kevin Durant wore the look of a man who had just enjoyed a pleasant meal with colleagues, or who had just finished a good book he was eager to recommend to friends. Under his “New York Robbery” cap, Durant’s expression was one of mild contentment, certainly not awe, which explains how a human being can score 49 points in 48 minutes of a must-have playoff game without much help.

This was Tuesday night inside a Barclays Center Zoom room, where Durant showed up in a hooded pullover with the words “The Audacity to Dream” set against the letters “USA.” His Brooklyn Nets coach, Steve Nash, had already completed a Zoom presser that found him looking and sounding astonished over what he had just witnessed. Nash was a Hall-of-Fame point guard who competed in 120 playoff games, and yet acted like a wide-eyed kid who had just sat courtside at his first NBA game.