Kyrie Irving has a career night.
As the current NBA season got underway, turmoil began brewing in the Cleveland Cavaliers locker room as the team struggled to find their footing and chemistry on the court. Rookie head coach David Blatt was also put on the proverbial hot seat as the onus fell squarely on his shoulders. For three players, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, who were used to being the go-to-guy on previous squads, sharing the ball seemed like a chore more than anything else.
Rumblings about the Cavaliers season being a failure sounded eerily similar to LeBron’s first season in Miami, where the initial chemistry seemed rigid until things began falling into place. With James inactive for Wednesday’s (January 28) game against the Portland Trailblazers, point guard Kyrie Irving exploded for a career high 55 points. All of his teammates were anemic in their performances, with the second leading scorer being Timofey Mozgov and a 12 point outing. Therefore Irving’s high level of play was the deciding factor in this narrow victory.
Whether being guarded by Damian Lillard, Steve Blake or anyone else on the Blazers roster, Irving was in full control, taking what he wanted. On paper, his 17-36 stat from the field is misleading if you include 11-19 from beyond the arc and 10-10 at the line. In the closing minutes of the game, Irving capped things off with a last second go ahead three that sealed the victory.
Looks like the sportscasters had it wrong, the Cavs might be a force in the East after all. – @Rocko_CNK
