CHARLOTTE, NC — As they prepare to watch former Brooklyn Nets teammate James Harden when they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, they do so with some lingering feelings about how they did last month's trading schedule. Took his way out of the team just before the boundary.
Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant both addressed it after Tuesday night's 132-121 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
"I thought we were in good swing, but everyone has their own point of view starting with the season," Irving said. "Everyone has their own vision for starting their careers and ending their careers. If that's what James wanted, I respect his decision and that's it. I wish him nothing but peace and love." Wanted. We have a great friendship, but it didn't work out. I wish things could have been communicated better for all of us as men, but hey, no hard feelings here with me or anyone else .
Irving noted that he felt that Harden had given a clearer explanation to some of the people in the organization that he felt could have been communicated better in the end. However, he has repeatedly stated that he has no hard feelings towards Harden.
"We're still in the same league," Irving said. "It's not like we're going to see him somewhere different where we're not going to see him again and we're not going to see him in the summer. It's great for the league to build things like this, but we We have a group in our locker room that we want to mature about moving to Philly and taking over the business and then moving on."
While Harden hasn't yet fully clarified all the reasons why he wanted out of Brooklyn, he noted in his introductory news conference with Philly last month that Irving's decision to go without vaccination, and thus Was not able to play in Nets home games. Impact on him and on the team.
For his part, Durant said he's not sure anything could have been said or taken aside for Harden to stay with the Nets longer.
"I don't know," Durant said. "When you look at it from his point of view, and you see and the cue isn't playing and then I'm injured, he hasn't won the championship before, so that's looking at - he's 32 years old, I think. Is, he is watching himself, want to decide to join a team that can be in that competition, one of the last teams.
"So if you look at it from his point of view, you can say that it's the same. You really can't control how he feels when someone is thinking that. Hopefully he's going to be healthy and happy." His team will be healthy, we will be healthy, we have a great year, they have a great year, and we just move on from it."
Nets coach Steve Nash said he didn't expect to catch up with Harden before Thursday's game because he doesn't usually get a chance to talk to opponents.
"It would be a different feeling to play against him immediately after trade," Nash said. "But it will be an exciting night to play for everyone and I'm sure the energy will be high. It will be a competitive sport."
After playing in several big games, Durant said he didn't think the extra spirit in the building on Thursday would make it so different.
"When I was little, 22, 23, you see a guy who just got traded and your feelings [are] everywhere," he said. "You don't know how you're going to approach the game, because it feels like a big game because you're playing against one of your former teammates, but that's it. It's just another game for us." .
"We want to win and they want to win. Move up in the standings for us and they want to maintain where they are. I know James was here and he made some relationships with some people here, but day's of the day." Ultimately we want to go out there and surround."
When asked by Irving if he thought the Nets could have done anything to keep Harden in longer, Irving delayed a bit.
"Some of those questions, James probably could have answered better," he said. “I was late on things and I was told one thing, and told another thing and the trade deadline came and now it is a completely different situation. Now I am answering questions about what happened; I don't have a timeline, whether or not things could have been better."
As far as the atmosphere is concerned, Irving said he is looking forward to what both Nets players and coaches believe will be a raucous atmosphere in Philadelphia.
"It's fun," Irving said. "It's fun. It makes for good stories, it makes for good stories. It builds up well for our league. It's never personal, but we understand that as competitors, we play sports." Want to win. So go out there with determination, with a focus and ready to do whatever we can to know what the Philly crowd is going to be.
"Everybody likes to build it, but especially for us it's not about an individual matchup. It's about us going out there and just being a great team and what we set out to do." "