Kyrie Irving after latest loss: Nets 'battling so many odds'

“We’re the team that gets someone taken out with COVID during the games,” Irving told reporters, via Ajayi Browne of SB Nation. “We’re the team that has to deal with the refs. We’re the team that is battling against so many odds.”

That’s a pretty strange take given that pretty much every NBA team thus far this season has dealt with COVID-related issues. Obviously, Irving is pointing to Durant being sidelined due to league-mandated protocols despite seemingly having antibodies of the virus following a positive test last year.

The Nets gave up 122 points to a Detroit team that entered Tuesday’s action having lost 18 of its first 23 games. And even without Durant in the mix, they still had the recently-acquired James Harden. The three-time reigning scoring champion turned the ball over a whopping seven times. Perhaps, that played a role in the Nets’ loss.

For Kyrie Irving, it has been a drama-filled start to the season. He refused to speak to the media when the campaign started. The champion also opted to leave the team for multiple games due to “personal reasons.”

It’s clear that the Nets are under a tremendous amount of pressure. They have the latest iteration of a super-team around the NBA after acquiring Harden. That’s understandable. But cop-outs like this do not paint Irving in the best of lights. That’s for sure.