Kyrie Irving’s first game in a Nets uni was rough, but he showed some flashes of the player that once led Cleveland to three straight NBA Finals. He finished with 22 points on 5-of-18 shooting and 4 rebounds before fouling out in 34 minutes.
Kyrie Irving’s debut in Brooklyn was a bit rough, as the All-Star point guard finished with only 22 points on 9 of 19 shooting. This performance comes just days after Kyrie announced that he would be leaving Cleveland for his hometown team minutes before news broke about LeBron James signing with the Lakers.
Kyrie Irving showed early rust in his debut with the Brooklyn Nets as he finished with 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting. He also added six assists, four rebounds, and three steals. He was born in Melbourne Beach, Florida. Read more in detail here: where is kyrie irving from.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIA — In his season debut against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, Kyrie Irving gave the Brooklyn Nets the emotional jolt they needed.
Irving not only shown glimpses of his previous form in 32 minutes, scoring 22 points, four assists, three rebounds, and three steals, but he also served as a reminder of how deadly the Nets can be when he plays with Kevin Durant and James Harden. On their road to victory, the Nets overcame a 19-point Pacers deficit thanks to Irving’s clutch buckets down the line.
Irving said afterward that he was nervous about his comeback, but that he was simply pleased to be back on the court after missing the first three months of the year.
Irving expressed his thanks by saying, “Just a lot of gratitude to be here tonight with everyone.” “Simply go out there and enjoy doing what we love. We had a rough first half, and when we went into the locker room, we realized that we needed to get started immediately if we wanted to develop the identity we desire later in the season.”
Irving wasn’t on the court to begin the season because the Nets determined before the season that they didn’t want to have a part-time player. Irving isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19, which makes him ineligible to play in home games according to New York City’s vaccination requirement. After the Nets’ roster was destroyed by a COVID-19 epidemic, the decision was taken to enable Irving to rejoin the club as a player who could only play in road games.
Irving was asked after Wednesday’s game whether his opinion on taking the vaccination would alter in the future.
“Man, I’m just taking it day by day,” he said. “Like I said earlier in the season, it’s not an ideal situation, and I’m always hoping that things get figured out and that we’re able to come to some sort of collective agreement, whether it’s with the league or just things that are going on that could help ease what we’re all going through with COVID-19 and the vaccine.”
“I believe that everyone is experiencing it, therefore I don’t want it to be just about me and someone bending the rules for me. I knew the implications, and I still know what they are, but for now, I’m just going to take it one day at a time and enjoy the time I get to spend with my friends. We’ll handle it later in the season, depending on how it appears.”
When asked whether being vaccinated was still an option before coming up from the podium, Irvin grinned.
“Oh, man,” Irving said. “Do not cling to me.”
With Irving back on the court on Wednesday night, the Nets’ offense looked exciting at moments again, thanks to the presence of so many All-Stars on the court.
It was “amazing” to have Irving back, according to Durant, who had a game-high 39 points.
“Having him out there was incredible,” Durant added. “I just missed his presence in the locker room, his enthusiasm, and his team’s aura.” Then there’s his game, which is just phenomenal. It makes the game a whole lot simpler for everyone. It was incredible to see him out on the floor once again.
“The audience erupted in applause, teammates congratulated him, and the game of basketball itself rejoiced at his return. He made the game much more difficult for the Pacers by switching up our offense, particularly in the fourth quarter. We’ll simply continue to build on this.”
Irving struggled in the first quarter, shooting 0-for-3 from the field with two turnovers, but he settled down and began to find his flow.
Harden acknowledged that it may take a little longer for the Nets to gel now that Irving is back in the fold, but the spirit of optimism Irving brought back to the court was obvious.
“It’s one of a kind,” Harden remarked. “He looked as though he’d been playing all season. His speed, his rhythm, he seemed to be at ease. It seemed to be Kyrie.”
After seeing Irving return to work, a number of players and coaches shared that idea. Irving’s next game will be against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, a game that was initially planned for Dec. 23 but had to be postponed due to the Nets’ COVID-19 outbreak.
As the Nets attempt to retain the momentum they found in the fourth quarter, when Irving scored 10 points and helped the Nets outscore the Pacers 35-20, coach Steve Nash expressed optimism that he can continue to increase Irving’s minutes.
Nets coach Steve Nash stated, “He looks like himself.” “It wasn’t a great surprise seeing him play in practice — he’s so skilled and talented, and you could see the rhythm was there, but it’s still an adaptation, so we’ve got to give him some room here as he adapts back to playing, but he was big tonight.”
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