“We all took it personal when we came out in that second half”: Kyrie Irving reacts to Lance Stephenson scoring 20-points in the first quarter, borrowing a quote from the Bulls legend Michael Jordan

Nets guard Kyrie Irving reacts to Lance Stephenson dropping 20-points in the first quarter. The former champion stated that it fueled him to make a stronger comeback in the second half.

Wednesday night in Indiana marked the return of one of the most controversial superstars in recent times, Kyrie Irving. The Nets organization had sanctioned the permission, allowing Irving to participate as a part-time player for the franchise in light of New York City’s COVID-19 mandate.

It was one of the most highly anticipated returns of recent times. However, only a few minutes into the game, the entire focal point shifted on Lance Stephenson. The 31-year old was shooting the light out at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, dropping 20-points in the first quarter, coming off the bench.

The dynamics had suddenly shifted, from it being Irving’s comeback game to the historic numbers Stephenson had put up. The Pacers guard ended the night with 30-points and 5-assists. Unfortunately, the Pacers lost the game despite having a 19-point lead at one time.

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Irving, who had 22-points in the game, played a crucial role in rallying the Nets from a 19-points deficit. When asked about Stephenson’s performance in the first half, Irving said they didn’t expect him to come out like that.

Kyrie Irving reacts to Lance Stephenson torching 20-points in the first quarter.

Irving’s game didn’t seem a tad different despite not playing for 8-months. The seven-time All-Star was 9-for-17 from the field and a perfect 100% from the free-throw line. However, things didn’t look good for the Nets in the first half of the game, with Stephenson having the performance of a lifetime.

The Pacers guard played a mere 6 minutes in the first quarter, coming off the bench and dropped a mammoth 20-points. The Indiana team was cruising up till the second half of the game. That’s when Kevin Durant and Uncle Drew joined the party, rallying the Nets from a 19-point deficit.

KD scored 39-points, 8-rebounds, and 7-assists. The two-time Finals MVP was 15-of-24 from the field. While Irving hit some crucial shots during crunch time from where the Pacers never recovered.

During the post-game media interaction, Irving had the following to say about Stephenson’s performance.

“It honestly hit me in the first half. We were just watching Lance Stephenson give us his best edition of his show. I told Lance during the game, ‘I don’t think I have ever seen you have a 20-point quarter like that.’ His debut in Indiana was gonna be a big deal, but we didn’t know it was gonna come like that, and well took it personal when we came out in that second half. So it just shows you anything can happen on any given night.”

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Irving’s performance against the Pacers no way indicated that he was returning from a sabbatical.