First, Kyrie Irving cleared the energy on the TD Garden field. Then he and the Nets wiped the floor with the Celtics.
Irving’s departure from Boston had been deeply examined and severely criticized. But before beginning his first game back, he surrounded the court by burning wisely, a spiritual ritual designed to cleanse a person or space, while promoting healing. Then Irving showed how healthy he was.
After Irving cost Irving both Nets off-road games against Boston last season – the latter in the NBA ball – he joined Kevin Durant’s team to lead Brooklyn to a 113-89 press final on Friday. in the evening. And, although there were no strong Celtics fans to boo him, the star guard put on a show.
Irving had 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists and finished a game with a plus-29. Durant had a maximum score of 25 points, six tables and three blocks. They helped the Nets win 32 points after three, and finished fourth.
“It’s easy to come here, man. The interpretation here is easy. Basketball is the easy part. External things beforehand become a bit noisy. That’s how I limit it, “said Irving, who appeared to have good relations with a number of former teammates, despite being denigrated by Celtics fans.
Irving is part of the Native American through his late mother and grandmother, who were members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. And, while the rescue cleans the energy, Irving said it’s not something that made Boston special.
“It simply comes from a lot of native tribes, being able to understand, just to clean up the energy, to make sure we’re all balanced and that we’re getting into this job and coming to this place,” Irving said. “I do nothing at home. … I saved the last game and I intend to save almost every game if the opposing team allows me. “
Durant – who looked with eyebrows, motherboards in contact and eyes down – confirmed in a TV interview that this is a common practice for Irving.
“It simply came to our notice then. Kyrie probably understands his camera before playing NBA 2k, ”said Durant. “It simply came to our notice then. He does it in the locker room. That’s his job and we all respect him and respect his methods. “
The methods work. The Nets’ scrutiny defense kept Boston at 32.9%, and 6-of-40 out of 3. The Nets hit 15-of-32 from themselves, and with the opening Tuesday versus the Warriors – followed by a Christmas rematch Boston – they seemed ready.
“All I have to do is be prepared,” Durant said. “It simply came to our notice then. I feel that I will improve with more and more repetitions, especially with the intensity of the regular season. To start the season, each team will play extremely hard, so I want to see how I go through the first stretch and in the middle of the season and play in the back. “
Caris LeVert – who missed the pre-season opener with a knee injury – started with 18 points from the bench. Joe Harris returned from a quiet game against the Wizards to score 14.
The Nets took the lead early, with a 19-4 run for four minutes, boosted by their defense. They forced four turnovers to turn a weak three-point margin into a 33-15 pillow that proved insurmountable.
Durant’s lead and dunk completed an 18-0 run to close out the third and give the Nets a 92-60 lead in the fourth.
With Kemba Walker out for the Celtics, Jayson Tatum had 19 and Jaylen Brown 16. But Tatum shot just 5 of 17, while Brown was a minus-21 fighting Durant.
“It was good. We took a few defensive steps, we were connected, a better recognition of the situations, but most importantly we competed, we played together,” said Nets coach Steve Nash.
“Kevin and Ky were great. I gave them a few more minutes to stand, the rhythm looked good. Those guys are in a good position to start the season. It’s not ideal with a short preseason, but given what we’ve managed to put together here in 18 days, we can’t ask for much more. “