Kyrie Irving’s return draws muted response

There was no video tribute. No drawn-out acknowledgment.

Instead, Kyrie Irving’s return to Barclays Center Tuesday evening felt a little bit like running into an ex at the grocery store — an awkward encounter in the produce aisle that everyone wants to be over as quickly as possible.

In lieu of the highlights they played when Kevin Durant came back last week, Irving’s face was briefly shown on the scoreboard, sandwiched by two bodygua . . . er . . . former Nets — Seth Curry and Markieff Morris Jr. The announcer welcomed back all three at once, and Curry and Morris got to hear themselves booed for no reason in particular. (There were cheers, too, though the number of Mavericks fans in the building could very well have been responsible.)

And then it was done: three- and-a-half tumultuous years, controversy after controversy, a trade demand, and the dynasty that never was — all reduced to a few boos, a disenchanted fan base, and a Nets team that sits in shambles out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Somewhat poetically, it happened on the one-year anniversary of the deal that sent Irving to Dallas.

It may seem strange that Irving — undoubtedly polarizing, then and now — would prompt such a muted response, but it makes sense in its own way. During his Nets tenure, Irving was on the floor about as often as he wasn’t. He suffered his share of injuries, of course, but also sat out for months after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, along with a suspension for tweeting out a video that supported antisemitic tropes and refusing to apologize.

The results were never there, either.

Despite employing the services of some of the best players on the planet, the Nets never advanced past the conference semifinals when he was here. He was often lauded for his skill, poise and intelligence, but was also censured for the distractions he brought to a team that couldn’t afford it. In the end, it all came out in the wash.

No wonder everyone was curious as to what would happen when he stepped out on that court.

“I have no idea what to expect in this world anymore,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. “So I have no idea what’s going to happen, what’s going to be said out there.”

Mostly nothing, and what a shame that is, given the talent Irving possesses.

Irving was utterly undaunted by his return, and quickly put on a clinic on what makes him who he is. He scored the first basket of the game, had 21 points at halftime, and kicked off the night 3 of 4 behind the arc. He still is, and always has been, a maestro with the basketball — unforgettable and often unstoppable. He’s also a breathing reminder of the failure that taints this organization to this day.

So, can you really blame fans for tending toward indifference? They’ve been burned too badly, and Irving was just one of a slew of disappointments. Often, he was also one of the few highlights.

And hey, that’s the reaction he wanted, anyway.

“I think we just gotta normalize” fan reaction, Irving told reporters Monday. The NBA is “one big conglomerate. Obviously, there’s some history there with certain teams. There’s a competitive edge that you have going into each game when you play against your former team. It’s not uncommon. It’s been happening for years in the league when guys play their prior] teams. I was just saying that to say let’s just normalize the emotions that go into these games instead of making it such a big deal instead of saying, are you ready for it?

“That’s what makes it exciting — the fandom, the support and staying poised through the chaos.”

But there was no chaos on Tuesday. Just a player returning to the site of the wreckage he helped create, and a fan base too numb to disappointment to be bothered by it.

Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.