On Wednesday night in Cleveland, Kyrie Irving's signature Nike shoes were a mosaic.
Scrawled around the swoosh was "I AM, I AM," an apparent reference to the "I am human ... I am healing" caption he put on Instagram this week after returning to the Brooklyn Nets following two weeks away for personal reasons.
There was "Ankh," the Egyptian word meaning "life." He also sketched the corresponding hieroglyphic, which he also wore on an earring as he warmed up before the game against the Cavaliers.
There was "Black Indians," a reference to his heritage as African American and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, a community he has supported financially and worked hard to spread awareness about.
There was a memorial to Kobe Bryant and Jan. 26, the day Bryant died. There was Aug. 13, his late mother's birthday. There was a message to his daughter, which has been a constant over the years.
There were initials, references and dates chosen for this first game with new teammate James Harden -- a myriad of disconnected messages.
Right now, the Nets are kind of disconnected too. And it was a reason they dropped an entertaining but disappointing game to the Cavs -- 147-135 in double overtime -- that spoiled the debut of their three-All-Star lineup.
After seeing how Kevin Durant and Harden blended beautifully for two dominant performances in their first games together, there was a temptation that Irving's return after seven games away would only amplify the star power.
But understandably, the Nets are a little messy at the moment. There are times when their potential is apparent, when the ball whips around and they find nothing but open shots, like in this game when sinking their first 10 baskets. There were a few times when they ran a set in which all three stars would play off each other, going in different directions like three wide receivers on one side of the field in a "trips" formation.
But like with other offensively loaded superteams, they also spent a lot of time taking turns -- former MVPs standing around waiting for something to happen as another goes one-on-one. The heavy zone defense the Cavs employed didn't help.
All of which had Irving remembering the early days of his first superteam, the 2014-15 Cleveland squad with LeBron James and Kevin Love. That team ended up in the NBA Finals after starting the season 19-20, bumping along an ugly learning curve. Within the first 10 days of the season, James had confronted Irving about being a ball hog.
"I was in my fourth year at that point when we got together, and it was just new," Irving said after Wednesday's game, looking back. "We were throwing our talent everywhere. It took time, and it took communication ... it took resolve, compromise and sacrifice."
Irving eventually left Cleveland to get out of James' shadow. He landed in Boston for two years with the Celtics before moving on to Brooklyn. And now he could end up as the third wheel, a role he might not have anticipated when first agreeing to team up with Durant.
There were no sharing issues in this first game of the newest Big Three. Durant had 38 points. Irving had 37. Harden had another triple-double, with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Normally, that's a winning equation. But the formula will need to go deeper than stats with this team.
The Nets lost because they allowed the worst offensive team in the league -- the Cavs came in a distant 30th in offensive efficiency -- to score 113 points in regulation. The Cavs also came in as the worst shooting team in the NBA, but they shot 51% overall and nailed 20 of 40 3-pointers.
Brooklyn had some sound defensive positions, especially during a fourth-quarter comeback, but so often the Nets played defense just like their offense -- by themselves. They were so tired in the overtime periods that Cavs guard Collin Sexton steamrollered them for 20 of his career-high 42 points, including five 3-pointers.
The Nets' second unit -- which is thin because of injuries and the Harden trade -- was whipped 44-10 by the Cavs in bench points, minimizing all the star firepower. As a result, Nets coach Steve Nash played Durant 40 minutes in regulation, Harden 41 minutes and Irving 38. That isn't sustainable going forward.
They won't face the onslaught they saw from a charmed overtime Sexton on a nightly basis, but it was a reminder of the smoothing that will be needed.
"We had breakdowns all over the place; we've got a lot of work to do," Nash said. "We know that."
This game was very much about Irving, though. He was playing for the first time after two weeks away for personal reasons. He was playing in Cleveland for the first time in more than three years -- he routinely skipped trips there -- and finally got his video tribute during the first quarter. He also was often the primary defender on Sexton -- the draft pick the Cavs traded Irving for back in 2017 -- down the stretch.
Nash ran the first play for Irving. He ran the last play of regulation for him. He ran the first play of overtime for him. Irving ended up with a team-high 28 shots. Nash might've run more for Irving, but his conditioning became a factor; the 48 minutes Irving played took a toll, as he faded by the second extra period.
The night ended with Irving smiling about it all. There's quite a journey to go, but considering everything, perhaps that's the most important thing to take away.
"Two OTs first game back, gotta love NBA basketball, bro," Irving said. "But I'm excited; I'm excited for the future."