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Kyrie Irving Impresses In Cleveland Cavaliers Season Debut

By Jamyson Frierson

Dec 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) drives off the pick of Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) as Philadelphia 76ers guard Kendall Marshall (5) defends during the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) drives off the pick of Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) as Philadelphia 76ers guard Kendall Marshall (5) defends during the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kyrie Irving impressed in his season debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

As Drake said in one of his newer songs, “What a time to be alive!” — especially if you’re a Cleveland Cavaliers fan.

The Cavs have won their last five games after getting a wakeup call against the Miami Heat. But none was more impressive than the win last Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jason and Ellie Day aside, the Cavaliers played one of the most complete games of the season with half of the team injured and unable to play. At one point in the middle of the third quarter, they were down by 10. However, they were able to persevere and win the game by four points, giving the Thunder their ninth loss of the season.

Although Thursday was great, Sunday was even better.

It all started with Kyrie Irving tweeting “I’m back” on Saturday afternoon after false reports claimed he would play against the Thunder.

He then made his season debut on Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers and he didn’t disappoint, finishing with 12 points, four assists and two steals. The rust showed early as he missed his first five shots. He then turned it on in the third quarter and scored seven straight points which would help lead to Cleveland’s 18th win of the season.

Excluding Mo Williams, this was the first time that the Cavaliers were completely healthy and had most of the team back. It had been since Game 4 of the opening round against the Boston Celtics that LeBron James, Kevin Love and Irving were all playing together.

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    • Since last January, the Cavaliers are 34-3 when they are all in the lineup together. Irving’s minutes will be managed by head coach David Blatt as Irving gets back into game shape and can adapt to the pace of the game. He has averaged 34.5 minutes per game in his career, but he played only 17 minutes in his first game back.

    He didn’t show off his dynamic handles or drive to the basket as much as he usually does, but that will come back with time and adjustment. According to John Brenkus of Sports Science, the Cavaliers were ranked sixth worst offensively in the league last season with Irving off the court. When he was on the court, they were the best in the NBA.

    If Irving can return to his form of last season and maintain good health, this team could be unstoppable and easily run away with the division and Eastern Conference. The good thing this year is that he won’t have to do it all alone.

    As I have said in my recent articles, the Cavaliers potentially have the deepest group of point guards in the league. If Irving struggles in the next few games, they won’t miss a beat going to Matthew Dellavedova, Williams or Jared Cunningham.

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    They have all started and contributed in a big way this season. Most importantly, the Cavaliers wouldn’t have to depend on Irving to score a lot of points as the bench would help them out. If everything stays as it is, it could be a fun second half for Cavaliers fans.

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