【Star】Irving vs Pacers Highlights Debut 22+4 final quarter scored 10 points to win
For Kyrie Irving, who is making his debut this season, is there a more perfect script than that?
Before the game, the Nets suffered 3 consecutive losses, and the overall momentum was worrying. In the game, the Nets trailed by up to 19 points. The Nets are in a bad situation, but they also make the perfect preparation for Irving's savior.
In his comeback, Irving handed over a near-perfect report card, he played 32 minutes 17 shots 9, free throws 4 all 4 shots to score 22 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, the second highest on the field plus-minus +16 points, second only to the second-half substitute player Bemburi who used defense to help the Nets change the trend.
When the team was behind, Irving helped the team with one goal after another. At a critical moment in the fourth quarter, Irving took over the game with his offensive ability. In the end, the Nets achieved a reversal and beat the Pacers 129-121, ending a three-game losing streak.
Irving's comeback is like a timely rain for the Nets, and his strong offensive ability and containment are too important. With the big three together, the Nets can get back to the top offense of last season's record-breaking record and return to full attack mode.
Irving refused to be vaccinated before the start of the season, and new York's local epidemic prevention policy did not allow unvaccinated players to enter the arena game, Irving could not play in the Nets home game. The Nets could not accept Irving playing as a part-time player and ultimately made the decision to suspend him. In the first two months of this season, Irving has not played, and he has become a topic of conversation in the league.
In December 2021, a turnaround occurred. In total, as many as 13 people with the Nets triggered health and safety regulations were quarantined, including the Europeans. In some games, the Nets can only use rookies or even 10-day short contract players, coupled with Kevin Durant and James Harden heavy loads, the Nets decided after discussion within the Nets to lift the ban on Irving and allow him to play in away games.
The Nets' compromise with the stars has been questioned a lot, but from the result, the Nets' decision is wise, because with Irving, the Nets immediately upgraded from an ordinary strong team to a championship contender.
Irving started as expected, but did not play an official game for a long time, Irving's form needed to be adjusted, his opening two jump shots hit the iron, gorgeous turn to break through and the throw was also fanned by Miles Turner.
Irving's personal attack is not felt, but he still has obvious effects as a space point and ball transfer station. The opening Pacers played joint defense, they dared to put Clarkston, dared to put Duke, just did not dare to put Irving. Irving pulled the defense and assisted Durant's jump shot at the free throw line, breaking the joint defense.
When Owen and Clarkston blocked and dismantled, he used the pulling force to move Sabonis Jr. out of the basket, and then passed the ball with one hand in his left hand, and Clarkston easily made the layup. The two did not cooperate for a long time, and the chemical reaction was not lost at all.
Irving's first goal came quickly, he forced the ball from the left side to the middle, entered the box and hit a gorgeous back-up jumper, giving A lesson to Lance Stephenson, who stole Irving's limelight with 20 points in the first quarter.
After that, Irving faced the change of defense in the block, and this wonderful single-soldier combat was originally what Owen was good at.
Before the end of the third quarter, Irving's fake ball was dangled away from his opponent to complete the whistle-blowing shot, and the Nets continued to erode the Pacers' lead.
In the fourth quarter, Irving hit consecutive dry shots at key moments, supporting the team's offense, and was one of the biggest contributors to the Nets filling the big hole and completing the counterattack.
That's what the Nets need Irving to do, and that's what Irving is best at, so the Nets don't worry about Irving's state from beginning to end, because he doesn't need to adjust, doesn't need to change, just needs to hold the ball and attack like in the past.
"Owen today is the same as he was before," Nash said after the game.
In addition to bringing the Nets a hard solution in the position battle, Irving's driving force to the Nets in the counterattack was seriously underestimated. Last season, the Nets were the third most efficient team on the counter-attack, but this season they dropped to 11th place. When Irving returned, the Nets scored 17 points on a fast-break score, and the counterattack was extremely efficient.
Looking at these several rounds, Irving either grabbed the ball and pushed the counter-attack to create a foul, or swung past the opponent in the counterattack and directly went to the basket. Including when the Nets were only 5 points ahead at a critical moment in the fourth quarter, Irving's layup on the counterattack helped the Nets extend their advantage.
Although Irving's return to the first game, his three-point projection has not been found, his tacit understanding with new signings such as Patty Mills is not enough, and James Harden's ball loss is also somewhat uncomfortable, but in this game, the Nets' offensive efficiency still reaches 127 points, which is far higher than their season average, even higher than their record-breaking 119.4 points last season, which is still in the case that Joe Harris has not yet returned.
It can be said that after Irving's return, the Nets have found the league's top level of offense, and they have returned to last season's "most-time offensive play in the world, critical moments of serious defense + offensive superstar takeover" mode.
After Irving's return, players such as Bruce Brown and James Johnson who can defend but drag down space by offense will have less playing time. Including Bemburi, if it were not for the Nets' poor defensive effect in the first half, Bemburi may not have been able to enter the rotation. When the Nets adopt an all-attacking lineup, defense is always a hidden danger for them, and the Nets had this problem last season.
But today the Nets pushed Durant to the fifth position in the fourth quarter, and the performance of the five small lineups proved that the Nets were the same as last season's playoffs, when they were fully focused on defense, they had the ability to play a good defense, Harden fell to the low position responsible for the main defense Sabonis Performance eye-catching, other people's bags, change of defense highlights are quite a lot.
Last season, everyone was curious, the Nets insisted on the full offensive style most of the time, only seriously defended at key moments and relied on the superstar to take over the way to win the championship, Harden and Irving's injuries caused the Nets to fail to verify whether this style of play can bring championship. Now, Irving is back, and the Nets will once again verify whether this set of playing styles is a championship winning code.