Kyrie Irving is probably the most polarizing player in the NBA at the moment. But even the haters can’t deny that he’s having a surreal season.
Advertisement
Kevin Durant came back in action last night for the Nets’ blowout win over the New Orleans Pelicans. KD’s return was received with much fanfare as he had a perfect shooting night.
KD played around 20 minutes to total 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. He did this while shooting 5-of-5 from the field (2-of-2 from the 3-point line) and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. But it was Kyrie Irving who drew most of the eyeballs for this particular highlight.
This is the first time in a few years that we’ve seen Kyrie make a dunk despite being contested. The last occasion I can think of was when he dunked on the Hornets despite intervention from Nic Batum.
How fans reacted to Kyrie Irving making a contested dunk from a baseline drive
A few fans obviously reacted in shock to one of the rarest sequences in the league. Kyrie is known for his under-the-rim play, which he’s often stated that he prefers to exploding for dunks. Given his knee issues in the past, it is quite understandable for him to take this approach. A few fans noted this.
A few fans also noted how this is becoming more of a regular thing for Kyrie.
Kyrie is approaching the first 50/40/90 season of his career if he continues to play at this level. It would make him only the 9th entrant to one of the most exclusive clubs in league history.
Harden and KD are the players who make the Nets favorites to appear in the Finals. But it is Kyrie’s presence that takes them over the top as the overall favorites ahead of the playoffs.
