#Nets, Kyrie Irving taking game-by-game approach

The Nets are the first NBA team in 12 years to win their first two games of the season by more than 20 points each, but the only thing on their minds after routing the Celtics on Friday was playing at Charlotte on Sunday.

“What’s there to be content about? What’s there to be happy about?” Kyrie Irving said after Friday’s 123-95 win over the Celtics. “It’s two games. Let’s move on to the next game. Let’s get ready for Charlotte. Let’s go do this thing again. Let’s have some fun. Obviously, we want this season to go in a very patient current. We don’t want to rush this.

“I know what history looks like … and I don’t want to take any day for granted, so I’m grateful I get to share it, this journey, with these guys.”

It would be easy for the Nets to get caught up in their early success, especially after obliterating a three-point halftime deficit with a 35-point third quarter in front of a national-television audience on Christmas in Boston. The Nets, however, won’t allow themselves to be that team.

Irving, whose 37 points in his first regular-season game against his former team counted as the most any Net has scored on Christmas Day, said the Nets need to utilize this time to size up their opponents and get a feel for how the Eastern Conference is going to stack up.

He added there are 70 games left in the regular season, and then after that “it’s a free-for-all.”

“I think in the past, I’ve had just such a rushing mentality to get through the season, to get into the playoffs, and right now I’m just grounded and balanced and playing every single day and not taking any day for granted with these guys,” Irving said.

Head coach Steve Nash evinced a similar tone after Friday’s win. He said the Nets’ depth and internal competition has allowed them to get off to a good start, but also pointed out that every team they play will likely get better at some point.

The Celtics have been playing without four-time All-Star Kemba Walker, who is expected to be evaluated for a return in early January after receiving a stem-cell injection in his left knee during the offseason. The Nets also demolished the Warriors, who didn’t have Draymond Green (foot injury) in the season-opener.

“I think it’s more that we just need to stay hungry. I wouldn’t take [the wins] with a grain of salt,” Nash said after coaching the first road game of his career Friday. “I think we defended well in both games for the most part, and that’s where we’re going to judge ourselves every night. Obviously, we want to play well offensively and want to build a terrific offense. But we’re going to just ourselves on our defense, implementing our principles, so we’re off to a good start in that respect, which is our priority, but we have to stay hungry.

“This means nothing. We’re just getting started. We have to continue to have that ambition to improve throughout the season.”

The Nets will play three games in the next four days, including matchups with the Hornets and Hawks, so they hope their attitude will lead to further establishing themselves in the Eastern Conference.