Kristian Winfield: YES Network says last night’s Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden debut as a trio in Cleveland was the network’s most-viewed telecast in 6 years.
Kyrie Irving Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: G
Born: 03/23/92
Height: 6-2 / 1.88
Weight:180 lbs. / 81.6 kg.
Salary: $33,460,350
Born: 03/23/92
Height: 6-2 / 1.88
Weight:180 lbs. / 81.6 kg.
Salary: $33,460,350
Alex Schiffer: From @YESNetwork: YES’ telecast of last evening’s Nets-Cavs game averaged 159,000 Total Viewers in the New York DMA, the network’s most-viewed Nets telecast in six years (179,000 average Total Viewers for its December 8, 2014 game, also against the Cavs). @NetsOnYES
While the Nets starters tired and Harden, Irving and Durant played the final 18:45 together, Brooklyn’s best on-ball defender, Bruce Brown, sat on the bench. Brown’s 6-2 frame made for an ideal matchup to potentially cool down Sexton, who is 6-1, but after seeing the reserves struggle in the second quarter, Nash elected to tighten his rotations and play just nine all game. After the game, Brooklyn’s stars said Sexton hit a lot of difficult shots on them and his performance isn’t a total reflection of the defense. “He made some tough shots,” Harden said. “And if he missed those shots, is it good defense? No, he made some tough shots, everybody’s tired at that point, and I think we did enough, especially in the fourth quarter and first overtime. I don’t know how many points he had in that second overtime, but I think he had the majority of them. Chalk your hat up to him.”
Irving said his time in Cleveland with LeBron James and Kevin Love taught him that resolve, compromise and sacrifice was necessary for the Cavaliers to win at a high level. Irving thinks the same can happen in Brooklyn with his new star-studded team. Like his last one, it isn’t going to happen immediately. “We’ll have good nights, we’ll have great nights, but it’s how we galvanize as a group together,” Irving said. “It’s how we sacrifice and compromise for the greater good. And that still remains to be seen. Obviously, one game is out of the way, but I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Michael Scotto: Kevin Durant on the debut of the Nets Big 3 with James Harden and Kyrie Irving: “It felt right. It felt perfect. It felt like we belong together. It felt like this journey together is going to be fun.”
As an aside, I’m not going to try to guess as to why Irving left the club prior to their Jan. 7 game against the Sixers. Various reports have stated that he was upset over the riots at the Capitol Building on Jan. 6. However, those familiar with Irving’s thinking said that the news that the Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake won’t be facing any criminal charges factored into his absence. That event, more so than the riots at the Capitol Building, contributed to Irving being away from the club, those people say.
“I am in Cleveland, I do wear No. 2, and I do wear Kyrie’s. That’s gonna be linked together. I just got to take it. I can’t control what people say, but I can control what I do,” Sexton admitted. “It was good to go against him tonight. I definitely accepted the challenge, and I knew it wasn’t gonna be easy. Just the simple fact that it’s Kyrie, he’s coming at you each and every night ready to go and tonight was a good one.”
