Kyrie Irving kept leaking right, making his way over to the wing, sizing up RJ Barrett, slowly letting the tension build. This had already been a heated night in Brooklyn, where a formerly listless rivalry actually had some juice, and a feisty Knicks comeback put the arena on tilt.
The portrait of Irving and Barrett, one-on-one to decide the game, was too symbolic to overlook. Here were the avatars of each franchise at this precise moment in time. The Nets, a team playing for now after a seismic summer in which they signed Irving and Kevin Durant. The Knicks, still looking to the future after an offseason of shortfalls, Barrett the No. 3 pick they hope to make the bedrock of franchise.
Barrett had already done his part, ready for the NBA from his debut, trying to speed up time. He scored 16 points, the last two on a steal, one of six on the night, and a finish in transition that gave the Knicks a two-point lead with 3:41 remaining. But New York had been dry ever since…
