Tonight’s Must-Watch Games

The Opening Tip

• Boston’s starting 5 can pass that thing

• Caitlin Clark is nearing history

• Why was Joel Embiid playing last night?

1. NBA’s biggest modern ‘what if’

Kevin Durant is returning to Brooklyn tonight for the first time since being traded last February, which is notable more for how un-notable it is.

He doesn’t even want a tribute video, because he feels he ‘didn't leave a lasting impact.’ 

• Now on his fourth team in eight years, Durant seems destined to finish his career homeless (sorry, unhoused)

• OKC might never forgive him, he’ll never be in Golden State’s inner circle, and he has more trade requests in Brooklyn (2) than series won (1)

All that, or at least the Nets part, would be completely different if Kevin Durant had shimmied his foot one inch behind the line in Bucks-Nets Game 7 on June 19, 2021.

If that shot was a 3 …

• The Nets probably get healthy, beat the Hawks, beat the Suns, and win the title

• Giannis is probably still ringless, maybe not in Milwaukee anymore 

• KD wins his solo ring before the Warriors win their fourth

• KD probably stays in Brooklyn

Instead, Durant’s on mercenary mission No. 3 with another neutral superteam, which he’ll find a way to get out of if he has to.

[READ: Kevin Durant is content being a basketball nomad]

2. Daily GIF: Ball movement

Look at the stats the Celtics’ starting five put up last night.

3. Trivia

4. Grip Graph: Caitlin Clark is closing in on history

Caitlin Clark, the Iowa superstar who’s averaging 32 PPG and shooting 40.7% from 3 on 13.1 attempts per game, is 279 points from passing Pete Maravich for most Division I points scored all time. 

• She has nine regular season games left, plus at least one conference tourney game and at least one NCAA tournament game.

• If she only plays 11 more, she’ll have to average 25.2 PPG to pass Pete. 

TLDR: She’s going to do it.

[WATCH: Clark drops 38 vs. Nebraska]

Quick hits

• Joel Embiid hurt his left knee last night late in a game he should not have been playing in in the first place.

• Terry Rozier: ‘In Charlotte, you’re kinda used to losing’

• (Terry might be onto something.) 

• Mike Breen roasts Collin Sexton.

• You simply cannot kill Taj Gibson. 

• Hawks fans chant ‘we don’t want you’ at D’Angelo Russell. 

• Here’s a cool idea the Clippers are doing for their new stadium.

• Look at the passion LeBron brings to an argument with a ref.

Reads & Pods

• Tony Snell’s mission to return to NBA is bigger than basketball [Yahoo]

• Which star is most likely to break 100 points? [The Ringer]

That's the buzzer.
Thanks for reading the 353rd edition of The Grip.