NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 01: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets are the real kings of New York City.
Irving dropped 40 points in Monday night’s edition of the battle of NYC, carrying the shorthanded Nets to a narrow victory over the Knicks. After the game, Irving was seen waving the Knicks off the court, a funny gesture given the growing rivalry between these two clubs.
Kyrie hit a number of seemingly impossible shots throughout the game, putting the Nets on his back and beating the Knicks in iso play.
The New Jersey native has reminded everyone of his talents this season, leading the Nets in the absence of both James Harden and Kevin Durant, the other two wheels of their Big 3.
Kyrie Irving’s overall game impressing for Nets this season
Irving will never be a staunch defender, but his effort on that end has been noticed and appreciated by Steve Nash and the Nets coaching staff. This Brooklyn team will only go as far as their defense takes them, and they’ve gone from near bottom of the league in the first few games after Harden’s arrival, to middle of the pack. Basically, good enough.
Kyrie signed with the Nets in the summer of 2019, in a homecoming that was a long time…coming. During his time with the Celtics, Irving often feuded with the Boston media and failed to really find a home in Beantown. Is there anywhere Kyrie has ever belonged more than Brooklyn?
Irving and Durant are hoping to guide this version of the modern NBA superteam to at least one championship, and it would be the first for Harden. Making sure they dominate their hometown matchup is a good start to reaching that goal.