It’s been a long time in the making, but the Brooklyn Nets Big 3 finally made their debut together on court on Wednesday night as they took on the Cavs, a game that also doubled as Kyrie Irving’s first time playing back in Cleveland since his departure for Boston four years ago.
Things didn’t exactly go as planned, however, as Collin Sexton went supernova for the Cavs as they managed to steal a double-overtime thriller and spoil the Nets’ inaugural game together. Still, despite the loss, there’s plenty to be optimistic about, to say the least, if you’re a Brooklyn fan.
Kevin Durant went for 38 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, while Irving chipped in 37 points of his own. And it was a relatively quiet night for James Harden, as he logged a casual 21-point, 10-rebound, 12-assists triple-double for the game after his explosive 32-point triple-double last weekend. The main takeaway here is that their three-headed monster is already a force to be reckoned with.
After the game, Durant didn’t disguise his pleasure with how the fared together in their first outing.
“It felt right, it felt perfect, it felt like we belonged together”
Kevin Durant reflects on his first game together with Harden & Kyrie: pic.twitter.com/1TvUdlRf8g
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) January 21, 2021
Still, Durant and company will face plenty of skepticism from fans and pundits alike about their ability and willingness to sacrifice and spread the wealth on a consistent basis, but it’s the type of “problem” almost any team would be happy to have. The bigger concern is probably on the defensive end, as evidenced by the Cavs big offensive night, but that can come and reinforcements in the frontcourt are almost surely on the way once the buyout market forms later this year. For now, there will be nights like this, but in terms of comfort together as an offensive unit, their debut was encouraging and clearly has KD feeling excited about their prospects.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/kevin-durant-nets-big-three-debut-felt-perfect-video/