Kyrie Irving draws muted response in return to Barclays Center
Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving adjusts his jersey during the second quarter against the Nets at Barclays Center on Tuesday. Credit: Brad Penner
There was no video tribute. No drawn-out acknowledgment.
Instead, Kyrie Irving’s return to Barclays Center on Tuesday evening felt a little bit like running into an ex at the grocery store, an awkward encounter in the produce aisle that everyone wants to be over as quickly as possible. It just so happens that the ex is doing really, really well.
In lieu of the highlights they played when Kevin Durant came back last week, Irving’s face was briefly shown on the scoreboard, sandwiched by two bodygua…er…former Nets, Seth Curry and Markieff Morris Jr. The announcer welcomed back all three at once, and Curry and Morris got to hear themselves booed for no reason in particular. (There were cheers, too, though the number of Mavericks fans in the building could have very well been responsible.)
Then it was done: 3 1/2 tumultuous years, controversy after controversy, a trade demand, and the dynasty that never was, all reduced to a few boos, a disenchanted fan base and a Nets team that sits in shambles toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
The crowd, meanwhile, got to watch Irving break their heart all over again, scoring 36 points, hitting back-to-back threes to stymie the surging Nets in the fourth quarter of their 119-107 loss to the Mavericks, and even throwing in an alley oop in the third.
Poetically, he did it on the one-year anniversary of the deal that sent him to Dallas.
“I’m pretty much at peace with what happened,” Irving said. He added of his Brooklyn legacy: “To be honest, I don’t care, because that’s subjective. Everybody has their own opinion and I’m just going to let it run its course and hopefully, in the next few years, it’s done. I know a lot of my peers can say the same. We’re tired of the added baggage that comes with playing our former teams and these extra emotional conversations.”
That’s the thing, though, it was no doubt emotional for Irving, who had his family there and spent a long time postgame hugging friends and signing autographs, but it seemed like so much of Barclays had already moved on.
It makes sense, in a way.
During his Nets tenure, Irving was on the floor about as often as he wasn’t. He suffered his share of injuries, of course, but also sat out for months after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, along with a suspension for tweeting out a video that supported antisemitic tropes and refusing to apologize.
The results were never there, either.
Despite employing the services of some of the best players on the planet, the Nets never advanced past the conference semifinals when he was here. He was often lauded for his skill, poise and intelligence, but was also censured for the distractions he brought to a team that couldn’t afford it. In the end, it all came out in the wash.
What’s left is a series of "what ifs" that matter less and less the farther away we get from the specter of unmet expectations.
“If I didn’t get injured against the Bucks, do I still ask for a trade?” Irving said. “If KD’s foot wasn’t on the three-point line, are we talking about a different legacy here? If James [Harden] doesn’t ask for a trade, all the would’ve, could’ve, should’ve, hopefully, after this night, we can put that to rest and just move forward.”
And though he’s no doubt a breathing reminder of the failure that still taints this organization, Irving will probably get his wish.
Sure, there were scattered boos when he touched the ball, but fans tended toward indifference. And who can really blame them? They’ve been burned too badly, and Irving was just one of a slew of disappointments. Often, he was also one of the few highlights.
“Obviously, it was emotional,” he said. “You can see my emotions running out there, but after that, I was pretty much focused on the basketball game.”
“That’s what makes it exciting,” he said the day prior, “the fandom, the support and staying poised through the chaos.”
But there was no chaos on Tuesday. Just a player returning to the site of the wreckage he helped create, and a fan base too numb to disappointment to be bothered by it.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
