First, Kyrie Irving cleared the energy on the TD Garden field. Then he and the Nets swept the floor with the Celtics.
Irving’s departure from Boston had been heavily investigated and criticized. But before the tip of his first match back, he circled the court, burning sage, a spiritual ritual meant to cleanse a person or space while promoting healing. Then Irving showed how healthy he was.
After a shoulder bump, Irving took both Nets road games against Boston last season – the last one actually in the NBA bubble – he teamed up with Kevin Durant to lead Brooklyn to a 113-89 for the season final on Friday night. And while there weren’t any salty Celtics fans to chase him away, the star watch put on a show.
Irving had 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists and finished a game-high plus-29. Durant had a game high of 25 points, six boards, and three blocks. They helped the Nets to a 32-point lead after three and were out fourth.
“Getting here is easy, man. Performing here is easy. Basketball is the easy part. It’s the external stuff that gets a bit noisy beforehand. That’s how I mitigate that, ”said Irving, who apparently had good relationships with some ex-teammates despite being slandered by Celtics fans.
Irving is partly Native American through his late mother and grandmother, who were members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. And while saging cleanses energy, Irving said it wasn’t something he set out to do especially for Boston.
“It just comes from a lot of indigenous tribes, who are able to sage, just purify the energy, make sure that we are all in balance and we come into this orbit and we come to this place,” said Irving. ‘It’s nothing I don’t do at home. … I managed the last game, and I plan to sell almost every game if the other team allows it. “
Durant – looking spry with breakaway dunks, baseline drives in touch, and staring threes – confirmed in a TV interview that it’s common for Irving.
That’s his thing. Kyrie will likely designate his room before playing NBA 2k, ”said Durant. “That gives us good energy. He does it in the locker room. That’s his thing and we all respect him and respect his methods. “
The methods work. The closely scrutinized defense of the Nets kept Boston on a 32.9 percent shooting, and 6 out of 40 out of 3. The Nets hit 15 of 32 from deep themselves, and with the opener Tuesday against the Warriors – followed by a Christmas rematch in Boston – they looked ready.
“I have no choice but to be ready,” said Durant. ‘But I feel good. I feel like I’m getting better with more and more reps, especially with the intensity of the regular season. To start the season, each team will be playing extremely hard, so I want to see how I get through that first piece and through the middle of the season and play to the back. “
Caris LeVert – who missed the preseason opener with a knee injury – debuted with 18 points off the bench. Joe Harris came back from a quiet game against the Wizards and scored 14.
The Nets took command early with a 19-4 run over four minutes, spurred by their defense. They forced four turns to turn a weak three-point rim into a 33-15 pillow that proved insurmountable.
Durant’s drive and dunk capped a run of 18-0 to end the third and give the Nets a 92-60 lead in the fourth.
With Kemba Walker out for the Celtics, Jayson had Tatum 19 and Jaylen Brown 16. But the Tatum shot only 5-of-17, while Brown was a min-21 against Durant.
“It was good. We took a number of steps defensively, we were connected, we recognized situations better, but most importantly, we played together,” said Nets coach Steve Nash.
“Kevin and Ky were great. We gave them another minute in the legs, rhythm looked good. Those guys are in a good position to start the season. Not ideal with a short pre-season, but considering what we were able to put together in 18 days here, we can’t ask for much more. “