NBA: Kyrie over mask:”You can only see the basket”

After getting a small facial fracture recently, Kyrie Irving played against Brooklyn Nets with a facial mask – it wasn’t the first time. Afterwards he talked to the journalists about how such a mask influences his game.

Irving had already played with a black mask several times and dominated aggressively, like in 2012, when he scored 41 points for the Knicks. This time, however, he decided to use a transparent version. He scored 25 points in his victory over the Nets.

“I was asked by some of my fellow players if I would wear a black mask again,”Irving said,”but the difference with the black mask is that they don’t get the ball because I don’t have a peripheral view. The reason I scored so much with the black mask is because I could only see the basket.”

Against Brooklyn Irving came up with 5 assists, which he said he couldn’t have done with the black version:”It takes away the view and you just think:’ Oh, there’s the basket,’ so I’m glad to have a transparent mask. I hope it will only take me a few weeks to get back to normal play,”Irving said.

He hopes for a quick recovery, as he could not see ideally even with the transparent vision:”It is simply a piece of plastic in the face. It’s like having foggy blinkers on you. The peripheral view is simply limited, you are more focused on what is right in front of you. You have to get used to it, but I can’t change it,”the Point Guard explained.