The Brooklyn Nets’ season is officially over. After starting the season as one of the favorites, the Nets got swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics. The Celtics shut down Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant for the majority of the series. They played physical defense on the Nets duo and they were unable to get into their own for a long time. And with their season finished, Irving finally admitted to letting his team down by now playing on a consistent basis.
It’s safe to say Kyrie had a turbulent season. After refusing to take the vaccine, Irving was banned from playing home games during the season. And due to that, the Nets said that they weren’t gonna play Irving at the start of the season. But with injuries derailing their season, the Nets bought him back for away games. And then with the mandate relaxing regulations, he was able to play the home games as well. But he played only 29 games for the season, and he was unable to develop any meaningful chemistry with his teammates. And for that, Irving has finally admitted the truth.
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Kyrie Irving admits he was a distraction to his teammates
After getting swept, Kyrie spoke to reporters about his and the Nets’ season. He said he was heavy on the emotional side and was sad that he and his team did not play as well as they were supposed to. But he also said that he will get back from this, and he will use this loss as motivation. Kyrie said he will use the critics as fuel for next season. But he also admitted that he was a distraction. He said, “I feel like I was letting the team down when I wasn’t able to play… It became a distraction at times.”
Kyrie Irving: "I feel like I was letting the team down when I wasn't able to play… It became a distraction at times."
— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) April 26, 2022
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The Nets went through a lot of turmoil this season. With Kyrie being out at the start of the season, the onus was on Kevin Durant and James Harden to carry the Nets. But they started off well, and they were on top of the East before Durant got injured. Then their season unraveled as they had a tough January. Kyrie came back but that wasn’t enough to keep them afloat. Then that whole saga with Harden happened, and he got traded to the Sixers. Durant returned but by that time, the Nets were in the play-in positions.
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The Nets will look forward to improving next season especially with Irving and Durant being available from the start. They will have Ben Simmons back and they will look to develop good team chemistry. But this season’s exit would certainly hurt the Nets.
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