Getty Kyrie Irving drives past Collin Sexton of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving has already accomplished so much in his 11-year NBA career. He has been an NBA All-Star seven times, an All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, the most recent member of the 50-40-90 club, and an NBA champion after hitting arguably the biggest shot in NBA Finals history.
Kyrie is gearing up for his first playoff appearance with the Nets as he was out last year after needing season-ending shoulder surgery. It will be his first postseason run since 2019 when he was with the Boston Celtics. As he prepares for what he hopes is his second run at the NBA title, the 11-year veteran is approaching this year’s postseason with a different vantage point as he is learning to appreciate every moment that he is on the floor.
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Kyrie’s Latest Interview Sets Twitter on Fire
“I just want to enjoy the ride. I just want to enjoy it as if it’s my last,” Irving told reporters per Matt Brooks of NetsDaily.
The life of being an NBA superstar is extremely fickle. One day you can be on top of the world and the next you just do not have the skills to compete anymore. As the NBA playoffs are approaching everything that the stars say is likely to turn into a debate, and Kyrie’s quote had NBA Twitter fans wondering if the 7-time All-Star is contemplating early retirement.
BOLD PREDICTION: Kyrie Irving will retire after this season
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Kyrie Doesn’t Care Who the Nets Face in the First Round
The Nets will play the winner of the play-in game between the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards. Irving was famously traded to the Celtics in the summer of 2017 from the Cleveland Cavaliers and spent two seasons with the franchise. But if you ask the former Duke Blue Devil whether or not he gets a chance to face his former team is of little importance to him.
“It doesn’t matter to me. I’m so far past matchups and all that. It’s just about who is going to prepare better and who is going to execute out there,” Irving said of who he would rather have as a first-round opponent per NetsDaily. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve played in Boston plenty of times before I got traded there. Played against Brad [Beal] and Russ [Westbrook] plenty of times. It just makes the competition level raise. Either way, it doesn’t matter to me.”
Nets Are Finally at Full Strength
Nets’ sharpshooter Joe Harris is expected to be a go for the Nets’ first playoff game on Saturday. He missed the final two games of Brooklyn’s regular season after suffering a left gluteal strain against the Chicago Bulls last week. Saturday will be the first time in a while that the Nets will truly be at full-strength, just in time for the playoffs. Nets’ veteran forward Jeff Green is excited to witness just how good the Nets can be.
“The energy is high. I think we’re all excited to have everybody healthy,” said Green via NetsDaily. “We’re excited about the playoffs. We used today as a time to get together, build chemistry, understanding different lineups, and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Buckle up Nets fans, this playoff ride is about to be one for the ages.
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