CHICAGO - After being away from the NBA for 561 days, it took only 25 minutes for Kevin Durant to recreate some of the old, familiar magic that has made him a household name.
Eighteen months after rupturing his Achilles, Durant, now draped in a Nets jersey, returned to glory in All-Star fashion.
KD tortured his former team, the Golden State Warriors, for 22 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals as Brooklyn handled its opening night business, 125-99 at the Barclay's Center in New York.
After a 40-point first-quarter outburst by the Nets, the only doubt left was whether the overmatched Warriors knew the make and model of the vehicle that ran them over.
Minus Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Steph Curry attempted to carry the Warriors with 20 points and 10 assists but his rifle was cold, just 7-of-21 from the field. And he couldn't dial from long distance, only 2-of-10.
Young guns Kelly Oubre and Andrew Wiggins were supposed to infuse more talent for the Dubs but both combined only for 19 points and they missed 23 of 30 shots, including 10 bricks from 12 tries from deep.
The Warriors looked like an apparition of what once was a glorious dynasty. And if Steph isn't getting any help it will be a long season in San Francisco.
But that's a column for another day.
TODAY IS ALL ABOUT THE SLIM REAPER
The ease with which ease he discarded the rust from a long layoff surprised everyone but Durant.
"I've been playing this game since I was 8 years old, so I just got to revert back to what I know," he said.
Translation: It was Throwback Sunday for the 10-time All-Star and two-time NBA champ.
Now 32, he was better than ever. He drilled 7-of-16 field goals and made a conscious effort of hoisting less 3s. Instead, Durant exploded with a barrage of mid-range jumpers, attacking the paint like a hot knife to a stick of butter.
"I try not to make a big deal out of this whole thing," said Durant.
Sorry Kevin, this is a big deal.
The baby steps you took on Wednesday was a giant contender leap for the Brooklyn Nets, who just inserted themselves as one of the league's powerhouse teams.
Durant was so good, he managed to eclipse a similarly brilliant performance by teammate and fellow All-Star Kyrie Irving, who finished with four dimes and 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting.
Caris LeVert got off the bench for 20 points. DeAndre Jordan grabbed 11 of Brooklyn's 57 rebounds while Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris combined for 19 points.
And with Jeff Green and Landry Shamet providing valuable relief minutes, the Nets are deep as a grudge.
Based on his $39 million salary, Durant pocketed a cool $21,666 for each of the 25 minutes he played today.
Sure is a lot of cash but it's also arguably the best dollars billionaire Nets owner Joe Tsai ever spent.
In some ways, money does buy happiness.
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