With Omarion Omicron opening up the door for Kyrie Irvingβs inevitable return to the hardwood, the mercurial point guard did what he does best in his season debut on Wednesday night: Score a bunch of fucking points.
In 32 minutes of actionβBrooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash did promise that the 29-year-old superstar would play βa good chunk of minutesβ on WednesdayβKyrie razzled, dazzled, and helped his team snap a three-game losing streak and erase an embarrassing 19-point deficit in the Netsβ 129-121 victory against the Indiana Pacers.
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Despite the Duke productβs insistence that he was nervous in his first game of NBA action this season, his coach and teammates werenβt buying it. And neither is the box score, as evidenced by the 22 points he poured in.
βIt was amazing to have him out there,β Kevin Durant told reporters after the game. βI missed his presence in the locker room, his energy around the team. His game is just so beautiful. It makes the game so much easier for everybody out there. [β¦] The game of basketball is happy to have him back.β
βHe looks like himself,β Nash said. βNot that thatβs a surprise.β
As for Kyrie, the magnitude of the moment wasnβt lost on him.
βThis meant a little more, taking eight months off and so much uncertainty,β he said. βI settled down closer to the second half. Whatever the team (needs), Iβll do.β
As for his polarizing COVID-19 vaccine stanceβwhich will prevent him from playing in home games this season and also prevented him from playing a single minute of NBA basketball this year until Wednesday nightβthe seven-time All-Star insists heβs βtaking it one day at a time.β
βLike I said before, itβs not an ideal situation,β he told reporters. βIβm always praying that things get figured out and weβre able to come to some collective agreement. [...] Iβm just going to take it one day at a time, like I said, and enjoy this time that I get to play with my guys. However it looks later in the season, then weβll address it then.β
The playoffs are months away, so thereβs plenty that can change between now and then. But if Wednesday night is any indication, this could be the year that the Brooklyn Nets emerge as NBA champs.
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