Brooklyn Nets 135-147 Cleveland Cavaliers: Twitter erupts as Collin Sexton steals show from Kyrie Irving

NBA fans witnessed the much-awaited debut of the Brooklyn Nets’ Big 3 of Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant when the franchise took on the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Wednesday. However, it was Collin Sexton who stole the show as the Cavs beat the Nets 147-135 in double overtime.

Sexton had a spectacular performance worthy of an All-Star appearance. He was scorching hot in overtime, scoring 20 straight points on his way to a career-high 42 points.

Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving scored 37 points in the duel of top-flight point guards. The game was Irving’s first since coming back from a controversial 5-game hiatus and a two-game absence due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols. It’s also his first time playing with James Harden since the Nets' blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets.

Did the Brooklyn Nets get away with a call against the Cleveland Cavaliers?

One of the most controversial decisions in the game was a reversal of a call by the officials in the fourth quarter.

After an offensive foul on Kyrie Irving was overturned with 1.5 seconds remaining in regulation, more than one Twitter user thought the game was rigged.

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard vs Brooklyn Nets point guard

Sexton’s big game was not lost on this Twitter user who thought he was better than the Brooklyn Nets’ Big 3.

Someone ridiculed Irving for giving up so many points. Not that this was an accurate assessment, though. Meanwhile, another user encouraged the player to take another break.

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant also gave his take on the exciting game, with Collin Sexton taking the lead for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Irving was honored by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, but Collin Sexton had other plans.

One fan compared Sexton outdueling Irving to Kanye West stealing the trophy from Taylor Swift during the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009.

On the Brooklyn Nets' defense

Regarding the loss by the Brooklyn Nets, FOX Sports analyst and LeBron James fan Nick Wright had a couple of “concerns” for the Big 3. Tommy Beer from Forbes had a similar take as well.

Kevin Durant #7 James Harden #13 and Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets celebrate during the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on January 20, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

The NBA Memes Twitter account had a funny way of assessing the Brooklyn Nets’ reasoning for the loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Another fan brought LeBron James and Anthony Davis into the mix to make fun of the Brooklyn Nets’ chances of winning the title in a potential finals battle against defending champions, the LA Lakers.

Even ESPN’s SportsCenter joined in on the fun with this tweet:

Finally, there’s this Twitter user who hilariously summed up practically every NBA analyst’s assessment of the Brooklyn Nets’ defensive woes tonight.

Regardless of the result, this is the first game together for Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant. There will certainly be adjustments in the near future. This game underscores all of the issues involved in bringing together a conglomerate of stars of this magnitude.

Kudos to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who played terrific team basketball to upset the Brooklyn Nets.

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