Getty Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts after a play.
After scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter of the Brooklyn Nets’ (22-12) big 125-117 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving could only reflect fondly on his time spent in the first NBA home he knew and the place where he won a championship.
He spent a good chunk of time signing autographs in the wake of his 32-point outing against his former team.
“I think the greatest lesson I learned throughout that process was it’s not a lonely road you’re supposed to take on your own,” Irving said during his postgame media availability. It takes a lot of help, and we had a heck of a team here that did something special that’s forever sketched in NBA history.”
Irving’s former teammate, Cavs big man Kevin Love, added to a big night for the Nets’ star.
Love: Cavs Should Retire Irving’s Jersey
“Without a doubt,” Love told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com about the Cavs retiring Irving’s jersey. “Absolutely. Right away, after his career ends. It’s not even a question to me. He needs to be up there.”
Fedor notes that Irving’s standing in Cavs lore is complicated by his relatively short tenure – just six years — since he does not sit atop any of the franchise’s all-time leaderboards. Irving also had clashes with some within the building and demanded a trade at the team’s peak which made him a villain in the eyes of some, notes Fedor.
Still, there might not be a championship banner hanging in the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse rafters were it not for Irving, suggests Love.
“He made the biggest shot in franchise history,” he said, “and one of the most important shots in Finals history when you consider how it all went down — what it meant for the city, what it meant for his legacy, LeBron [James]’s legacy and everything else, including that Golden State team that became a dynasty and was historically great.”
Irving finished with 32 points against the Cavs in this one, tied with Kevin Durant for the team lead, to go with five assists and four rebounds. He also knocked down 7-of-11 free throws, including two during that critical fourth-quarter takeover.
“Seen that before,” Love said of Irving’s night. “The shots he makes, you just have to sit there and say, ‘Not much you can do about that.’ It’s been that way his whole career. That’s why he’s been such a special player in this league and continues to be.”
Appreciating the Journey
Irving tweeted a heartfelt message before the game about returning to where it all began in the NBA for him.
Regardless of what has happened since then, Irving still values his time with the Cavs.
“It takes building a great team to accomplish something special,” he said. “I don’t take this moment that I’m at right now for granted because it took all those times for me to go through being here in Cleveland in order to achieve something special. I’m on a journey to do that with this team here in Brooklyn.”
Kyrie Irving on returning to Cleveland: “The amount of pressure I was putting on myself coming in after the prodigal son, LeBron James, leaves, and I had to take on the ropes after that. Who knows if I was ever going to live up to that billing. But I put that pressure on myself.”
Fans are still not forgiving of Irving’s departure, though. He with some jeers from the home crowd.
In 10 games since his departure, Irving is averaging 24.9 points on 62.2% true shooting with 5.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds against the Cavs – he is 5-5 in those games.
At any rate, Love says it’s time to move past all of that.
“I don’t really understand the boos,” Love said. “I think in terms of Kyrie, the basketball player, and what he meant for the organization, for Cleveland, for Ohio, I think he should get a great applause every time he comes. I think enough time has passed that we should love him up for what he meant to this organization.”
Brooklyn Going Hard
Brooklyn has vaulted itself to third in the Eastern Conference after a 2-5 start and a coaching change to begin the season. There is still a long way to go. But they are finally looking like the team envisioned when Durant and Irving arrived over three years ago.
“I think this is for the first time in like 4 years throughout this Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant era where it’s literally been just basketball”
@ShamsCharania on Nets gaining confidence on #RunItBack with @MichelleDBeadle @ChandlerParsons @bansky
They are third in net rating since Jacque Vaughn took over with the NBA’s best record in that span at 20-7 and are 15-3 since Irving returned from his suspension.
A team rarely is both among the title favorites in the preseason and a Cinderella story during the same year. But the Nets’ unique circumstances and self-inflicted drama created that exact environment. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they have adapted well to the chaos, not just to survive it but to thrive.