Kyrie Irving's change in behavior credited as the reason behind Brooklyn Nets' success by NBA analyst
Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets are on a roll. After a slow start to the season, the Nets have become one of the NBA's hottest teams.
Brooklyn found itself at 2-6 at one point. Fast forward to today and the Nets are 23-12 and have been firing on all cylinders. Brooklyn is in the midst of a 10-game winning streak and has won 14 of its last 15 games, with the only loss coming to the Boston Celtics.
Heading into Thursday night's games, Brooklyn is now second in the Eastern Conference standings.
After the dismissal of coach Steve Nash on Nov. 1 and then the eight-game suspension of Kyrie Irving, things looked to be falling apart for the Nets. Brooklyn went on to name assistant coach Jacque Vaughn as its new head coach. Since then, Brooklyn has started to look like the team many expected coming into the season.
On the "Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective" podcast, NBA analyst Tim Bontemps praised Vaughn for turning things around.
"You look at the way this team has turned their season around, he deserves a lot of credit, because this team does not resemble the team they were early on when they were flailing around getting blown out looking terrible," Bontemps said.
After praising Vaughn, analyst Brian Windhorst pointed out how impressive superstar Kyrie Irving has been. Irving has become a big reason for their turnaround.
"I also think Kyrie is absolutely without question purposely on his best behavior," Windhorst said. "And that really helps."
Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets starting to make a charge in the Eastern Conference
Life in the NBA can change at the snap of a finger. That's just what the Brooklyn Nets are realizing right now. After a disastrous start, Brooklyn is now a force in the Eastern Conference.
Superstar forward Kevin Durant continues to be sensational. In his last 14 games, Durant is averaging 30.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 60.4%, including 43.5% from 3-point range, during that span.
Durant isn't alone, as fellow star Kyrie Irving has played some of his best basketball as a member of the Nets. In his last 13 games, Irving is averaging 27.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 5.2 apg. He is shooting 49.8%, including 41.0% from 3-point range, during that stretch.
This has to be some of the most ridiculous shot-making you will ever see in high-pressure moments.
Just an absolute whale of a 4th quarter from Kyrie Irving tonight. https://t.co/IXPiJK4S9T
Brooklyn will look to continue its impressive play this weekend. The Nets visit the Charlotte Hornets (9-26) on Saturday. The team will then return home for a game against the San Antonio Spurs (11-23) on Monday.