• sport

• NBA

Durant encourages: "The combination with Kyrie and Harden feels perfect, as if we were meant for each other"

After 98 points in common "almost without training together": The Brooklyn star trio sees a rosy future ("in relation to the first game, it's awesome"), Irving recalls difficulties with LeBron and Love and Harden is already starting to sacrifice himself.

Just do not ask them about question marks in defense

Tags

• Brooklyn Nets

• James Harden

• Kevin Durant

• Kyrie Irving

Walla!

sport

Thursday, 21 January 2021, 09:07

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on general

• Share on general

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

0 comments

It will still look better.

Durant, Harden and Irving (Photo: GettyImages, Jason Miller)

Despite the dramatic loss to Cleveland, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving are encouraged by the combination.

The Brooklyn star trio in question made their debut together, and saw Colin Sexton steal the show with 42 points including 20 straight, giving the Cubs a 135-114 victory after two overtimes, in a crazy game in Ohio.

Indeed, Brooklyn felt an immediate effect with Kyrie Irving's return to the floor, after two weeks in which he was absent under mysterious circumstances.

The Nets opened the game with the three stars on the floor, scoring with 10 of their first 10 shots from the field.

In those minutes it seemed that Durant and Harden were making a special effort to involve Kyrie Irving in attack, and that was evident later in the evening as well.

Kyrie threw the most shots out of the three (28) and functioned mostly on the shooting guard standard, with Harden mostly busy managing the game.

In fact, Harden seems to be trying to change attitude and play in a completely different way from the centralized style that characterized him in Houston.

He did not throw from the field or from the penalty spot in the first nine minutes of the game - the third longest period of his career - and continued to give up shots in money time as well.

He scored his first points only in the last minute of the first half.

Either way, in the bottom line the three connected no less than 98 points (Durant 38, Irving 37, Harden 21), with Harden coming to a triple double with 12 assists and 10 rebounds, and Durant flirting with one such and adding 12 rebounds, 8 assists and also 4 Blockages.

"It felt right, felt perfect, like we were meant for each other," Durant said optimistically of the collaboration between him and Irving and Harden.

"The feeling was that this union would be fun. It was a difficult start, but there is reason to hope."

More on Walla!

NEWS

In the Big 3 premiere: Brooklyn lost to Cleveland, Colin Sexton stole the show

To the full article

Already enjoying.

Durant (Photo: Reuters)

Irving said of the comeback that "I'm always grateful to play the game I love, and never take it for granted. Playing with Kevin Durant, James Harden, such names, such talents, it's just fun."

Irving also sounds very encouraging.

"Each of us would have preferred a win over these impressive stats. But bottom line, those numbers are tremendous compared to our first game together. Now it's our responsibility to put the pieces together in a puzzle and make it work."

But alongside compliments on offensive abilities, the question marks surrounding the new constellation still shone - especially on the defensive side, where Harden and Irving were far from excelling.

"They say we don't have enough tools in defense, but those are just words," Irving said.

"I am sure that as time goes on we will know each other better, prepare better. We must not forget that we were thrown onto the field together after a few training sessions. It will surely look better."

Kyrie remembers well how long it took him to find a common language with LeBron James and Kevin Love, in the last constellation in which he played with Cleveland.

It ended with a historic championship, thanks to Irving's unforgettable three wins in Game 7 of the Finals Series against Golden State.

"When LeBron and Kevin joined, I was in my fourth year in the NBA. Everything was still pretty new," Irving recalled.

"We had talent in every position, but it took us a while to learn from each other and communicate well. It took battles and compromises for it to work. That's going to be the case now, too, with Kevin and James."

More on Walla!

NEWS

Washington is back in action, Danny Abdia is still disabled and is expected to miss the comeback game

To the full article

Meanwhile, he makes the greatest sacrifice.

Harden (Photo: Reuters)

Harden and Irving's stats on defense are not particularly impressive, but Durant claims it has no meaning.

"Statistically, Cleveland is the worst offensive team in the NBA, the worst shooting team in the NBA. Today they scored 20 threes and beat us," he said.

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on general

• Share on general

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

0 comments