On January 5, Beijing time, according to the Nets reporter, Irving is no longer in the team's injury or isolation list, tomorrow's Nets away game against the Pacers, he can play. Irving has missed 35 regular season games this season, with the Nets second in the East with 23 wins and 12 losses. Irving also appeared on the big screen of the Nets home.
Irving is coming back to play away games, which is not big news. The real buzz is that Irving can actually play at home? In August 2021, the Mayor of New York issued Executive Order No. 225: A fine of $1,000 is imposed on individuals who violate the epidemic prevention regulations for the first time, $2,000 for the second violation, and not less than $5,000 for each subsequent violation.
In other words, if Irving plays at home to the Nets, he will be fined thousands of dollars per game. The remaining two dozen home games of the season add up to a hundred thousand dollars. For both the Nets and Irving, it's a small amount of money. The Nets were aware of the "loophole" in the rules, but they didn't let Irving play that way.
For now, Irving still won't play home games in the regular season. But in the playoffs, we don't know if the Nets will make an exception to let him play. The Nets haven't been in good shape lately, with the team suffering three straight losses and the No. 1 title in the East being taken away by the Bulls. Even if Irving only plays on the road, it is a shot in the arm for the Nets.
"Smiling Assassin," Thomas said, "I'm still that, I wouldn't have won without the Irving Nets." He's a 50%/40%/90% shooting percentage, and the league's elite scorer! Once Irving returned, the Nets immediately became the biggest favorite to win the championship. Nash revealed that Irving has been in good shape in training lately.
Because Irving had been refusing to be vaccinated, the Nets initially did not intend to let him play in this game. But multiple players on the team triggered health and safety agreements, Durant was also overloaded, and the Nets eventually compromised. On December 18, the Nets announced Irving's return and will play in away games. Unexpectedly, the next day, Owen tested positive for the new crown.
The return was a twist and turn, and after isolation and treatment, Irving finally appeared on the court again. Owen revealed that from the offseason to the time he returned to the team, he did not slack off and has been playing in high school and college stadiums. Arenas said Irving now only needs a few games to get back to his best.
Harden didn't fare well at the start of the season, but his form has picked up recently. In his last five games, he has scored 30+ in four games: 36, 39, 33 and 34. In a game of losing to the Grizzlies on the Net, Harden did not feel good, scoring only 19 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists on 5-of-14 shooting, while also making five turnovers.
Durant's shooting percentage in his last two games has not been high, 11 of 24 shooting against the Clippers and 8 of 24 shooting against the Grizzlies, both of which are lower than the season shooting percentage (51.5%). KD averaged 36.8 minutes per game, and Hada averaged 36.6 minutes. Season has been played so far, the regular season is almost halfway through, Durant and Harden should reduce the pressure.