First, Kyrie Irving cleared the track. Then he and the Nets soiled Boston.
Before the launch of Irving’s first game at TD Garden since his scrupulous departure from the Celtics, the star guard encircled the burning sage. It is a spiritual ritual intended to cleanse a person or space, while promoting wisdom and healing.
Then Irving, who was injured during the Nets ’two road trips to Boston last season, was confident he teamed up with Kevin Durant to lead Brooklyn to a 113-89 Celtics preseason loss.
“It simply came to our notice then. That’s his thing, “Durant said of the sage in a televised interview on the court. “I respect him and I respect his methods.”
There were no salty Celtics fans to make him squirm, but he still put on a show.
“I just see Ky is Ky,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “It simply came to our notice then. Right now he is lucky, he is in a big space, playing very well in practice and play. I don’t see him taking this anywhere other than just a regular display game to prepare his legs for the season. “
Irving’s legs looked ready. So did his jumper and the rest of his game. He had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 28:13, finishing one game more -28. Durant added a maximum of 25 points, six boards and three blocks in 27:29. The dominant duo helped the Nets gain a 32-point lead after three, and finished fourth.
The Nets, whose defense has been a matter of doubt, kept Boston with 32.9% of shots and 6 of 40 from 3 points away. They reached the 15-of-32 from the depths, and with Tuesday’s season opener against the Warriors (followed by a Christmas Day rematch in Boston), the Nets looked ready.
“The games will be more intense when the games matter, starting with that team next week,” Durant said of his former Golden State team.
“I don’t think there is any doubt that there are obviously very good teams in the East. They are up there with anyone. And when he sees them play the other night, it’s very clear, “said Celtics coach Brad Stevens.” Kevin has been one of the great players of this generation, and Kyrie is super special.
“Adding these two to a team that has been in the playoffs for the last two years, it’s very deep. I like their additions in the low season … so, great team. You know. Everything you had to to do was watch five minutes of the Washington game and you can tell it’s an elite team that will be very, very good all year round.
That depth made them look good on Friday, with Caris LeVert missing the preseason opening with a knee injury, debuting with 18 points off the bench. Joe Harris bounced back a quiet game against the Wizards to score 14 points.
The Celtics and Irving had an ugly divorce after the 2018-19 campaign. When the Nets played in Boston on March 3, fans posted the image of Irving through the nearby streets portrayed as the Cowardly Lion, and sang, “Where’s Kyrie? Where is Kyrie? “The August 5 meeting hit the NBA bubble. An shoulder injury cost Irving both games, but he looked good on Friday.
“When you have a player of the caliber of Kyrie’s talent, everything changes. The conference is improving, the division is improving, the team that this player is in is improving, ”said Marcus Smart. “We all know what Kyrie is capable of at any given time, no matter who is in front of him.
“They have confidence, they play really well, they have good players around these guys to help them. Having that kind of player on your team, in the league conference, just makes the league, the team and the conference are much better ”.
The Nets took the lead soon with a 19-4 run in a four-minute span, spurred on by their defense. They forced four rotations to turn a tenuous 14-11 with 6:39 left in the first quarter into a 33-15 cushion that proved unbeatable.
Durant’s drive and dunk closed out an 18-0 run to close out the third and saw the Nets lead 92-60 to fourth.
With Kemba Walker out, Jayson Tatum had 19 points and Jaylen Brown 16 for the Celtics. But Tatum shot just 5 of 17, while Brown was a minus-21 facing Durant.
The Nets demanded that striker Paul Eboua resign from the resignations.