The Brooklyn Nets defeated the New York Knicks 122-115 to improve to 3-6 since Kevin Durant suffered a knee injury that is expected to keep him out of the lineup for at least another week or two. One might think that a 3-6 record is nothing to write home about, but ESPN's postgame show--featuring "Screamin' A" Smith--portrayed a win against the mediocre Knicks as proof that Kyrie Irving is a superstar who can singlehandedly carry a team. Superstars are not defined by one game. The reality is that every time Irving has been the number one option for an extended period his team has not accomplished anything noteworthy. Irving was a great second option behind LeBron James for the 2016 NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers, but there is a big difference between being the second option versus carrying all of the responsibility of being the first option (there have been some great teams that truly had a 1A and 1B, but that was not the case with James and Irving).
The 2022-23 Brooklyn Nets are a contender with Durant leading the way, and they are a Draft Lottery team with Durant out of the lineup. That is not an opinion; that is a fact based on the team's record in both circumstances not just this season but throughout the time that Durant and Irving have been with the Nets.
While hyping up Irving, ESPN ran a graphic that incorrectly gave Irving credit for holding the Nets' franchise record for most consecutive 30 point games. ESPN, other media outlets, and the NBA pretend that the ABA did not exist and that the four NBA teams with ABA roots were founded in 1976--but pretending something is true does not make it true. The Nets were founded in 1967-68 as an ABA team known as the New Jersey Americans. Many of the franchise's records--including the single game scoring record--are held by Julius Erving, who packed a lot into his three years with the team: three regular season MVPs (one shared with future Philadelphia 76ers teammate George McGinnis), two championships, two Playoff MVPs, and two scoring titles. Yet, the NBA and its media partners ignore ABA history and statistics, pretending that the Nets franchise--and the Nuggets, Pacers, and Spurs franchises--debuted in the 1976-77 season.
As a Net, Erving scored at least 30 points in six straight games (November 24-December 1, 1973), a feat that Irving has yet to surpass. Neither player holds this particular franchise record, though. Rick Barry, in the second of his two seasons with the Nets (1971-72), scored at least 30 points in seven straight games (February 3-February 18, 1972).