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Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving came under heavy scrutiny for his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine, resulting in him sitting on the sidelines early in the season. Although he is back in the fold as a part-time player, many still believe he is not doing enough to put his team in the best position to win.
However, Irving has shown why he is one of the NBA's best point guards with awe-inspiring, back-to-back performances this week.
Coming off a 50-point game in which he shot 78.9% against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday, he had another stellar display Thursday night.
In a game that had a playoff feel, Irving delivered on both ends. He locked down former teammate James Harden to 11 points on miserable 3-for-17 shooting. And he scored 22 points and dished out five assists.
It was a highly-anticipated matchup because it was the teams' first meeting since their Feb. 10 trade deadline deal. The blockbuster featured both teams moving disgruntled stars: Harden and Ben Simmons.
The Nets' 129-100 blowout victory sparked reactions across the NBA community. On ESPN's "First Take," analyst Kendrick Perkins said:
"What I saw last night was Kyrie Irving. And I'm here right now to apologize to Kyrie Irving on national television and to say that as long as I'm in the media, I would never say anything negative about Kyrie Irving again."
He continued:
"The simple fact that he went out there and snatched James Harden's soul defensively, the way that he picked him up full court. It, one, made it true about the rumors that we heard about in their practices how Kyrie was going at James. Two, it just showed me a different level of Kyrie."
It was a statement game for the Nets, and they delivered the message perfectly. Kevin Durant got hot early, along with Kyrie and Seth Curry, who was acquired through the Harden trade.
Kyrie Irving will play in only four of the Brooklyn Nets' last 15 games
Despite how well Kyrie Irving has played for the Nets, he is still a part-time player and will only be available for games outside of New York City. Although the Nets have 15 more games to close out the season, Kyrie will only be available for four.
Those games are the Orlando Magic (March 15), Memphis Grizzlies (March 23), Miami Heat (March 26) and Atlanta Hawks (April 2). The Nets will also play at the New York Knicks on April 6, but the NYC vaccine mandate prevents Irving from playing at Madison Square Garden.
The Nets are trying to make a push to finish at least sixth in the Eastern Conference and avoid the play-in tournament. They are five games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers (38-27), who are currently sixth.
But they will have to go on that chase mostly without Irving.
Nonetheless, it was a superb victory for the Nets and will go a long way in boosting their confidence.
Irving has played only 18 games this season, averaging 25.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while shooting 47.6%.
