After 561 days of waiting, the NBA world got to see Kevin Durant back on the NBA floor, but this time in a Brooklyn Nets uniform. Playing against his former team, and alongside his new costar Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets clicked on all cylinders, and steamrolled to a 125-99 rout of the Golden State Warriors, on Tuesday night(12/22), in front of an empty Barclays Center.
The question was if KD would show any rust, with this being his first game in 18 months, but he quickly answered that question by hitting his first three shots, and slamming it home a few minutes later for an 18-8 Nets advantage prompting a Warriors timeout, and giving Durant 10 points in the early going. That was a sign of things to come for this Brooklyn squad, as Kyrie Irving got hot, Deandre Jordan made his veteran presence worthwhile with 11 boards, and forcing some turnovers from a young team on the visitors side, that aside from some early energy from Kelly Obrue JR, didn’t stand a chance in this contest. Of the Nets first 26 points, FGs “7-11 duo” combined for 20, while sharpshooter Joe Harris knocked down a couple of 3’s himself, as the Nets built a 40-25 first quarter lead, and never looked back.
The pace of play settled down a bit in the second, with KD and Kyrie sitting out for most of the frame, which only gave way for the Nets second unit to stand up, and show how they can be in quantity what their explosive starters are in quality. Caris Levert came off the bench, and along with Spencer Dinwidee, Landry Shamet, Jeff Green, and Jarret Allen, showed why this Nets team isn’t all about their starting lineup, but their bench too .
Brooklyn maintained their double-digit lead but the second quarter, also saw Stephen Curry (20 points and Warriors rookie James Wiseman get rolling a bit, to keep the score respectable at 63-45, heading into the halftime break, but not before Kyrie Irving nailed a halfcourt shot, putting emphasis on just how much the hosts were feeling it tonight.
The second half was more of the same, in 24 minutes, Kyrie finished with 26 points, while in 22 minutes, KD poured in 22, also adding three steals, and a block in his Brooklyn Nets debut. Caris Levert finished with 20 of his own, while Deandre Jordan (11), and Jarret Allen combine for 18 boards, on the evening. The Nets led by as many as 38, with Steve Nash picking up his first win as a head coach, in his first try.
But tonight was more than just a regular season opener, it was the start of a era that this franchise, and this fanbase desperately needed, and after years of being the leagues punching bag, it has finally came all together for a Nets team eyes it’s first title, and are now 71 games away from embarking on that historic journey.
Yes, Golden State aren’t world- beaters anymore, and it showed with Brooklyn dominating from start to finish, which is what fans should come to expect most nights, barring battles against the Lakers, Clippers, Heat, or Bucks. Tonight was a night that will be looked on as a night where the doubters were silenced, because this team can clearly play ball, and the message Nets fans should’ve taken away from tonight is this. Tonight was part chapter one of a story that will be filled with “nothing but Nets.”, and you should squeeze every drop out of it that you can.
After you enjoy this one, it’s onto to chapter two Friday night (5:00ET) in Boston, against the Celtics, where Kyrie Irving makes his long-awaited return to TD Garden.
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