Brooklyn Nets: Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving Play Together at Last

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Pre-Season Opener

Wizards 114

Nets       119

FINAL

... and the Hoops of Flatbush Take the Court!

Welcome to the Brooklyn Nets' most anxiously anticipated season to date, even more so than their initial arrival in Kings County.  Expectations were never nearly as high then, nor moving forward, as they are at this very moment.  

General manager Sean Marks is to thank.  His patience and discipline have so far prevailed.  Through his rebuilding and architectural vision, the team in these last two seasons has done more to endear themselves to fans than in any preceding six.  Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Joe Harris, even Spencer Dinwiddie (and the departed D'Angelo Russell) grew up here, along with others worth mentioning whether still with the team or not.  They're all responsible for elevating the Nets to a more competitive level.  I'm happy a trade to acquire James Harden never transpired.  Generally speaking, the point is the long-sought emotional bond between team and fan has finally been cemented.  That's a very different vibe than hiring a bunch of costly mercenaries in the hopes of grabbing a new fan base's attention, a la Mikail Prokhorov's and Billy King's device.  Although a Nets familiar crowd, Brooklyn can be an apathetic bunch.  Early attendance figures bear that out.

Some pundits are saying the Brooklyn Nets are now a legitimate Eastern Conference threat.  Then, all that remains is for Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to drive Sean Marks' vision forward and validate such prognostications.

That being said, the wait is over.  For the first time since their respective acquisitions, fans got to witness Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant playing in the same game at the same time and donning the same black and white uniforms, albeit in the first preseason exhibition game against the pedestrian Washington Wizards.  But if fans think they waited a long time for this moment, imaging Durant's plight, who last participated in an NBA game over 550 days ago.  He's been recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon ever since.  It was definitely a relief and very encouraging as a fan to see Durant moving so fluidly and without hesitancy.

Insofar as first impressions, Irving and Durant did not disappoint.  Their respective first-half effort was an exciting glimpse into what possibly could be a fascinating season in Flatbush.  The two joined for 33 points en route to a 68-50 first-half lead.  Said another way, they accounted for 48.5% of the Nets first-half scoring.  I can't stand math, but I'm completely copacetic with that measure of contribution for the sake of involvement.  Despite 0/3 from the arc, Spencer Dinwiddie scored ten and led the team with seven assists in 25-minutes.  Timothe Luwawu-Cabarro seems to have picked up where he left off with eleven points in 21-minutes.  Taurean Prince was an effective 6/9 from the field and 2/2 from the line.  Kyrie Irving led the team with 18 points in just 17 minutes, and Durants had 15 points in 24 minutes.

Meanwhile, DeAndre Jordan and Jarrett Allen were not the centers of attention.  Coach Nash gave Jordan the start over Allen.  I'll wait out the preseason before I make that an issue.  Otherwise, the two joined for just seven points with eleven defensive boards while splitting 32 total minutes.

This brings to mind Steve Nash and his rather eclectic coaching staff.  I'll just start by saying holdover Jacque Vaughn is completely welcome.  Mike D'Antoni is the assistant head coach.  He'll definitely be a head coach of his own team again next season; I'm sure of it.  He, unfortunately, was the one person left standing in the latest round of head coaching musical chairs.  Nash, of course, played for D'Antoni while at Phoenix.  And then there's Amare Stoudemire, Nash's former teammate at Phoenix.  The two were great together, and the three went far together but never did get to light a victory cigar.  Amare is said to be here (partly) to teach Jarrett Allen how to play like a big man.  I hope it works.  However, I'm no booster of D'Antoni.  I do not and have never believed in his system.  We've seen it up close with the Knicks, and where did his system get him in Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Houston?  That said, I fully expect Steve Nash to be his own man and run his own game while being completely open to information and advice.  Above all else, I trust Sean Marks made the right decision.

I do not consider the upcoming season a championship year or bust situation.  I prefer to judge the upcoming season in stages.  For now, they are nothing more than a team with two stars who have yet to complete a full season together.  Of course, Durant is returning to the floor after an extended absence. However, Kyrie Irving with the Brooklyn Nets still must demonstrate durability, lest we forget he only played 20 games last season.