Even someone as unpredictable as Kyrie Irving is nervous before a debut. Above all, if that premiere arrives after eight months and leaves behind a trail of controversy like the one the base starred in yesterday. Irving has had to debut a few times with the pressure of being number one in the draft, coming back from injury or with the expectation of being the new star of a brand new franchise. But, as he declared yesterday at a press conference, “nothing comes close to tonight.”
Irving went back to dressing in shorts for the first time since last July. From there to this part, denial of the vaccine, scuffles with the New York and league regulations, a statement that separated him from the team and a new letter that readmitted him to play the games away from home. Oh, and millions of dollars lost. Many. Would all this go through his head when he returned to the park? Apparently not, as Kyrie was only thinking about how inactivity would affect his game. «After eight months away there is a lot of uncertainty. How many minutes am I going to play? How will the game go? How will my classmates feel? ” he asked figuratively before the press.
In the end, the nerves did not finish taking a toll on the player, who finished with 22 points scoring more than 50% of his shots and four assists in 32 minutes. The Nets also managed to break a three-game losing streak. Steve Nash had the detail of calling the first play of the game for a shot of his, and Irving thanked him. ‘I was blocked even at the thought of making the first shot. I was very nervous. And of course I still am. The player will be able to continue that illusion of the first time almost intact, since they will have to wait until next Monday to play again against the Trail Blazers.
(Cover photo by Andy Lyons / Getty Images)