The weary Nets may be feeling some jet lag after their recent travel, heading from Brooklyn to Portland for a demanding back-to-back, but even with Day'Ron Sharpe saying the team's flight to Portland was "the longest flight I've ever been on," Kevin Durant is making sure there are no excuses for the team's recent struggles.
"Who cares? It's part of the game, it's a part of who we are," Durant said of the team's recent travel demands. "We've been in the league, we've got young dudes, they're supposed to get up and play. They throw s--t at you, you gotta figure out how to work around it."
Brooklyn kept it close in the fourth quarter against the Trail Blazers on Monday night, but still couldn't finish off a shorthanded team playing without Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. The Nets were without James Harden, who suffered a hyperextended knee, but Durant didn't want to hear any justifications for the team losing five of its last seven games.
"We still had an opportunity to win this game, so who cares? That's what championship teams go through, is a little adversity," Durant said. "They play little games through the season to help you get better, and it's an opportunity for us to do the same thing."
The Nets will remain on the road, and therefore still have Kyrie Irving, for Wednesday's big matchup with the Eastern Conference-leading Bulls. Then, the team heads home for two before hitting the road for four games in six days. But again, if the team continues to struggle, Durant won't point to the schedule.
"I'm not making any excuses about no flights or our schedule," Durant said. "Everyone's schedule is f---ed up."
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