NBA games of the week: Enes Kanter trash talks the world

Wednesday, Jan. 31: New York at Boston, 8:00 p.m. ET

Potential targets: Kyrie Irving, Al Horford

Kanter has already opened the door for some Flat-Earth talk with Kyrie Irving, way back in October:

It’s not much, admittedly, and probably not that original considering everyone around the world (or on the face of the Earth, if you believe it is actually flat) has said something about Kyrie and his beliefs. Still. Irving does fit into Kanter’s formula for trash talk.

As for Al Horford, Kanter had a little brush up with the Celtics’ big man back in 2016, when reports said Kevin Durant, then a free agent listening to pitches by the Thunder, wanted to play with Horford, who was a free agent, too. That would reunite Horford and Thunder coach Billy Donovan, who won back-to-back National Championships at Florida. For Oklahoma City to make the move, they would have had to get rid of Kanter. As we know, everything fell through, Horford went to Boston, Durant went to Golden State. That left Kanter with the last jab:

https://twitter.com/Enes_Kanter/status/749390448196747264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fthunder.clutchpoints.com%2Fenes-kanters-tweet-shows-his-displeasure-with-okc%2F

Last time these two played, it was the Michael Beasley Game, when he told reporters after out-dueling Irving that he’s had a hot hand since Jan. 9, 1989. Kanter did his usual that game. He finished with 14 points and 10 boards, five of which came off the offensive glass.

The Celtics appear to be the most fun chance for the East to topple the Warriors and perhaps even in the rest of the league. (Something about a seven-game series against the Rockets still piques my interest a tad more.) Though they lost to the Warriors on Saturday, the game was within one possession down the stretch even despite a five-point barrage by Stephen Curry, who finished with 49 points in 37 minutes. The Celtics are unfazed by the atmosphere of Oracle Arena. That could be huge in a Finals series.

I’m still a bit wary of Irving’s MVP candidacy because of the seasons guys like James Harden, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are having. And if Curry keeps this production up, he could sneak in and cause some havoc for votes. Regardless, Irving’s contribution to the C’s is undeniable.