Getty Kyrie Irving is catching heat.
It didn’t take long for the criticism to start rolling in after the Boston Celtics eliminated the Brooklyn Nets in just four games in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.
With the exception of Game 4, Nets star Kevin Durant looked off his game and it cost his team big. His costar Kyrie Irving also shoulders a lot of the blame, and members of the media don’t seem thrilled with what he said postgame about wanting to come back to Brooklyn.
Kendrick Perkins and Eddie House, 2008 champs in Boston, roasted Irving for his comments.
What Did Kyrie Say?
Kyrie says he plans to re-sign with the Nets: “When I say I’m here with Kev, I think that really entails us managing this franchise together alongside Joe and Sean.”
After the four game sweep, Irving reiterated his desire to stay with the Nets, something Celtics fans will remember as something he said to them years ago, and he says that he’s sticking with Durant.
“When I say I’m here with [Kevin Durant], I think that really entails us managing this franchise together alongside [Joe Tsai] and [Sean Marks],” he said.
The comments about building something within the franchise are what irked Perkins and House.
The Champs Respond
“As soon as he started talking, for the first minute I muted it. He said a whole lotta nothing.”
@KendrickPerkins and @EddieHouse_50 react to Kyrie Irving’s postgame press conference
Perkins, who previously backtracked on all Irving criticism earlier in the year, said the Nets star didn’t really say anything with his comments.
“As soon as he started talking, for the first minute I muted it,” Perkins said. “He said a whole lot of nothing. Talking about the direction that they’re going in and things to that nature. No, you and Kevin Durant wanted to come together to the Brooklyn Nets to do one thing, and one thing only, and that was to come in and compete for a championship. Not get swept. Not throwing people under the bus. Not say we’re looking forward to the offseason, making some adjustments.”
His former Celtics teammate Eddie House echoed similar comments while speaking on the NBC Sports Boston postgame show.
“He talked in so many circles, I started to get dizzy,” House said. “I’m thinking to myself, ‘Man, hold up.’ He’s going here, he’s going there and then he’s trying to downplay stuff. So that’s what I don’t like. Don’t try to downplay it. Y’all came here, y’all got whooped. [The Celtics] had a game plan, y’all couldn’t figure it out. They smacked y’all. [The Celtics] smacked y’all.
Where Do The Nets Go From Here?
GettyKevin Durant and the Nets have some changes to make.
As of right now, it doesn’t seem like the Nets are open to making a coaching change as Steve Nash has the backing of his star player in Kevin Durant, and he has spoken openly about his desire to come back.
I loved doing this and love these guys, love my staff, love all the departments,” Nash said. “Really have a great working environment, really enjoyed it and want to continue doing it,” Nash said. “Ben Simmons and Joe Harris will give us a big lift and we’ll see how the rest of the roster rounds out, but we should be excited by that. Getting two of your top four guys back — two guys with size, one who’s an All-Star and one who’s one of the best shooters in the league — that gives us a big boost.”
There are some holes in the roster that need to filled out, notably with some younger big men. Ben Simmons will presumably be ready to go next year, so the Nets will be in a much better situation than they were in the playoffs if that happens.
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NBA Champs Rip Kyrie Irving Over Comments Made After Nets Elimination