The Nets were hobbled and wounded entering a pivotal Game 5 against the Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday night, with only Kevin Durant, an injured James Harden and a host of role players to go against a Milwaukee team that had won two straight games in the series.
It didn't matter though, as Durant and Jeff Green carried the Nets offense and brought them within one game of an Eastern Conference Finals berth. Both Durant and Green hail from PG County in the DMV and they represented their hometown well on the biggest stage.
Durant went for 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in arguably the best individual performance of his career. He played every minute of the game and dominated in the second half to will his team to a win, something that wasn't all that feasible two years ago when he tore his Achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
"The injuries that he's been through, to come back, the world is witnessing once again who the best player in the world is," Green said after the game. "It's amazing to see. He's a workhorse, he loves basketball, he works on his craft and it shows. It's amazing to be a part of, and being from the same area, I can't put it into words how it feels to watch somebody who comes from the same neighborhood as you go out there on the court and be successful."
Green was perhaps the second-most important Net in Game 5 with Harden playing with an injured hamstring. He scored a playoff career-high 27 points and hit seven of eight attempts from 3-point land.
The Bucks were doing everything they could to stop Durant, but even with his explosion, had they been able to keep everyone else in check, they most likely would have won the game. If not for Green, Brooklyn likely faces an elimination game on the road Thursday night.
"[Green] came out there and set the tone for us at the 3-point line," Durant said. "That was huge, huge for us. We were just excited that he came out there, especially after being out a couple weeks, he came out and impacted the game pretty nicely."
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The work isn't done for Durant and Green, though. Harden is still hurt, Kyrie Irving isn't expected to return anytime soon after suffering an ankle injury and the Bucks will be playing with their season on the line in front of their home crowd for Game 6.
Brooklyn is going to need another special performance from Durant and, if not Green, someone else on the roster to move on to the next round.