Kyrie Irving a catalyst in the Nets' transformation
Nets guard Kyrie Irving reacts with forward Kevin Durant after his dunk against the Spurs in the first half of an NBA game at Barclays Center on Monday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
CHICAGO — It’s almost impossible to overstate how much has changed since the Nets and the Bulls last played each other.
The Nets team that entered Wednesday’s game at the United Center was playing better than any team in the NBA. Their 12-game winning streak is the longest in the NBA this season and the second longest in team history. The Nets have had two 14-win streaks — one in 2004 and one 2006.
Contrast that with the Nets team on Nov. 1 that dropped to 2-6 after losing a 108-99 game to the Bulls at the Barclays Center. Coach Steve Nash had been fired the morning of that game and Jacque Vaughn had been elevated to interim head coach.
What’s more, there was mounting pressure on the Nets to do something about Kyrie Irving, who days before had tweeted a link to an antisemitic movie. Irving finished with just four points against the Bulls on 2-for-12 shooting, and the Nets were the biggest disappointment in the league.
Since then, the Nets have gone 23-6 entering Wednesday night’s play and transformed themselves into the contender everyone thought they might be at the beginning of the season.
Even more stunning has been the transformation of Irving, who eventually was suspended eight games for linking to the movie.
Since Irving returned on Nov. 20 from his eight-game suspension, the Nets have won 18 of 21 games. During that stretch, Irving has been averaging 25.0 points per game while shooting 42.3% from three-point range.
No one on the Nets has been hotter than Irving during the Nets' streak. Irving, who played in 10 of those games, is averaging 29.3 points, shooting 54.3% overall and 45.5 from three-point range.
What’s most impressive is that Kevin Durant is averaging 28.8 points over the same time period. For the first time since the Nets won the Durant sweepstakes, fans are getting to see what their two healthy superstars can do over an extended period.
“The great thing is they are capable of doing it. Both are unbelievable scoring machines,” Vaughn said. “Early in the year, Kevin was doing it in various ways. We posted him a bunch and he was a hub for us which we talked about at the time. I think Ky is in a great space and rhythm right now with his three-ball going in which sets his game to another level.
“I do think those two can continue to play this way. I just really believe in them. I think they are that good.”
Irving brought his teammates to their feet on Monday and sent the team owner to his Twitter when he executed a ferocious jam in the second quarter of the Nets win over San Antonio. He finished that game with 27 points in 28 1/2 minutes.
“I’ve been working on my body for the last year and a half, two years especially recovering from that traumatic ankle injury I had during the 2021 playoffs,” Irving said after the San Antonio game. “I just felt like I didn’t have my feet underneath me at the end of last season, so coming into this season I definitely put an emphasis on being more on my toes and getting stronger.”
Vaughn said Irving’s improvement was just a matter of getting some games under his belt with this team.
“I think it’s just a little bit of flow and the course of the year and how you start getting games underneath you, who you're playing with and where you are going to get your shots from,” Vaughn said. “[Irving is an] extremely intelligent human being. I think he’s figured [it] out. He’s talked about how the fourth quarter looks conversely to how the second quarter looks. He’s been able to take advantage of the situation he’s been put in.”
Notes & quotes: Vaughn credited the players for his getting the Coach of the Month award for December. Said Vaughn: “I got a great text from a friend of mine that I won't say who it is, but he said ‘What's so special about a turtle sitting on top of a fence post? He didn't get there on his own.’ So I'm very smart to know that that award is the performance team, it's the coaching staff, it is at the end of the day, it's the player. So we had a great month as a team, because of those guys came out and they balled out and they hooped. So I'm just a turtle; that’s it.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
