“They don’t look like a team that can win the title, and maybe even the Eastern Conference” - Chris Broussard questions the Brooklyn Nets' championship credentials without Kyrie Irving
The co-host of “First Things First”, Chris Broussard is excited for Kyrie Irving’s return to the league. Irving has not played a single game in the current season due to vaccination rules but is set to return, possibly against the Indiana Pacers.
The Brooklyn Nets changed their stance on the Kyrie Irving situation in response to a number of players going into the league’s health and safety protocols. Another reason was the increasing minutes load on Kevin Durant and James Harden.
"I'm so excited to see Kyrie back. ... It improves the Nets chances of winning the championship. They don't look like a team that can win the title, maybe even the Eastern Conference, without Kyrie playing some of the games." — @Chris_Broussard https://t.co/691aBUiYSb
Chris Broussard shared his excitement at Kyrie Irving’s return, by reminding us what we have been missing out on. Broussard said:
“I’m excited to see Kyrie back. It certainly adds some excitement into the regular season. He’s one of the guys that’s the most fun to watch in the history of the game, with his handles, his finishing ability and all that.”
The Brooklyn Nets are currently second in the Eastern Conference standings with a 23-12 record. However, the record doesn’t necessarily mean that they are one of the favorites for contention. The initial question posed to Chris Broussard was what Kyrie Irving’s return means to the Brooklyn Nets, to which he replied:
“What it does is, it increases, improves their chances of winning the championship. Second seed in the East, best road record in the league – they look good kinda. But when you really dig deep, they don’t look that good. When that good means winning the championship, they don’t look like a team that could win the title and maybe even the Eastern Conference; without Kyrie Irving playing some of the games.”
James Harden: 33 PTS, 14 REB, 10 AST
Kevin Durant: 33 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST
@KDTrey5 & @JHarden13 are two of the leagues scariest players to guard! https://t.co/GHhZh3ttgh
The Brooklyn Nets’ twelve losses include two against the Chicago Bulls and one each against the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks. Basically, they haven’t beat any of the top four teams so far. Chris Broussard brings that part to light, saying:
“They [Brooklyn Nets] are 0-7 against the top four seeds in either conference. So, they were beating up on the bad teams, the mediocre teams, the chumps. They couldn’t play with the top teams in the league without Kyrie. So, you bring Kyrie back and I think it improves your chances.”
Kyrie will be back playing with the Brooklyn Nets, but that will be limited to away games at the moment. Despite being able to play a limited number of games, the Brooklyn Nets could use a boost from Irving.
Kevin Durant and James Harden will have to continue showing up in home games, while Irving can take some of that load off in away games. Broussard did not take credit away from Durant and Harden, saying:
“It’s not like they’re going to be garbage in home games. So even if you’re in a playoff series and Kyrie can only play the three or four games on the road – ok you’ll be really good then. [But] not like you’re not gonna have two superstars at home.”
For Kyrie Irving, the next three match-ups will be against the Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers and Chicago Bulls.
The Brooklyn Nets will be happy to have Kyrie Irving back, especially for the match-up against the Chicago Bulls, considering they lost in their two previous meetings. But in terms of contention and a returning Kyrie , things will have to be taken day by day.