Kyrie Irving Promises Steve Nash, Nets Revelation As Kevin Durant Eggs Him On

Every basketball fan was bracing themselves for a Brooklyn Nets dynasty in January 2021. After all, the team had added James Harden to a team that already had Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. They had all the ability in the world as an offensive trio, and in the 16 regular season games they played together, they proved it conclusively. The Nets entered the playoffs as heavy favorites to emerge as the NBA champions.

However, after a 4-1 series win in the first round against Boston, disaster struck for the team. James Harden suffered a groin injury in Game 1 of the second round even as the Nets walloped Milwaukee. As it were, this injury was compounded when Kyrie Irving had his ankle taken out from under him by Giannis in the next game. James Harden tried to make a valiant comeback in Games 5 to 7, but his efforts were in vain.

The Nets agonizingly lost the series in overtime of Game 7 as Kevin Durant carried them hard, but lost steam at the end of the game despite perhaps putting in the greatest elimination game performance ever. The following year, Kyrie Irving refused to take Covid-19 vaccines and was not allowed to play or practice with the team. His unavailability dumbfounded James Harden, who sought a move away.

The Nets would go on to be swept in the first round of the playoffs, their title dreams all in tatters. Steve Nash was soon fired, but the damage had been done to the roster. Both Irving and Durant got trades away from the Nets with varying degrees of success. Irving returned to the Finals in 2024, while Durant only won one playoff series in three playoff opportunities with Phoenix.

Years later, Kevin Durant was asked by LeBron James what went wrong with the Nets, with Steve Nash present. Durant attributed it to Steve Nash not bringing his A game to the coaching job. But Kyrie Irving believes there is an element of the story that’s missing. Irving has been live streaming for his fans recently, and he’s decided to provide the missing element of the story in a future stream.