Kyrie Irving thriving at the right time as the Cleveland Cavaliers continue their run through the Eastern Conference.
LeBron James carried the Cleveland Cavaliers as far as he could last season, without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving available for the 2015 NBA Finals. For the second straight season, James shouldered the burden of losing in the NBA Finals, but this time, he was missing his All-Star running mates.
James bolting from his four-year furlough in Miami to return to Cleveland was based on having Irving to help lead the Cavs to championship mortality.
Irving only played in 53 games after rehabbing his knee injury, which cost him five games in the Finals.
Once he was back he struggled to hit his shot at a great clip from the perimeter, making just 32 percent of his three-pointers, including 25 percent in December and January.
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Only in February did Irving shoot 50 percent overall, his field goal percentage dipping to 43 percent in the 27 games after the All-Star Game.
In the final five games before the playoffs, Irving shot 42.3 percent from three, a sign that his rhythm was coming back and he was comfortable with his knee.
The playoffs have been a different story for “Uncle Drew.” In the first round against the Detroit Pistons, he averaged 27.5 points, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game and shot 47 percent from deep.
Against the Atlanta Hawks in the second round, he averaged 21.3 points and shot 66.7 percent from behind the arc.
Kyrie Irving is thriving at the right time as Cleveland continues to run through the Eastern Conference.
Love the way Kyrie sets up this behind the back move https://t.co/JpmqCfUTfc
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) May 20, 2016
The Cavaliers are 10-0 in the playoffs and a healthy and confident Irving is a big reason. He has taken the burden of James to do everything. The fifth-year point guard is the Cavaliers postseason leading scorer and he is averaging 24.7 points and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 48.7 percent from three.
Besides the three-point shooting, the Cavs point guard is a premier ball handler and can break down any defender off the dribble. He attacks the basket and flips the ball up and in with ease.
Kyrie is very dangerous in pick and roll situations and has exploited defenders who are unable to keep up with him by shooting pull-up jumpers or slashing to the basket.
Kyrie Irving is shooting a tremendous 56% in the pick & roll this postseason. NBA average is 40%. Stephen Curry led regular season at 48%.
— Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) May 20, 2016
Kyrie Irving shows the ball before finishing the layup. https://t.co/0YxiC7Q7gS
— RealGM (@RealGM) May 20, 2016
The 3-point shot is not falling for him in the first two games of the Cavaliers’ series against the Toronto Raptors (1-for-6) but Kyrie has continued to score the ball efficiently.
He is currently shooting 59 percent for the series.
Irving scored a game-high 26 points in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, picking apart the defense.
Kyrie is definitely more comfortable in his second playoff go-around, as he’s already scored more points than he did in 13 playoff games last season, 248.
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Irving has increased his overall field goal percentage (50 percent), three-point percentage (50 percent) and his effective field goal percentage (57.7 percent).
The Cavaliers have looked unbeatable in the Eastern Conference because of his effectiveness.
Irving finding his rhythm has opened up James’ ability to dominate the game without having to take on a scoring burden. And for the Cavaliers to win the NBA Finals, they need Irving to continue to play as well as he has so far this postseason.
Kyrie Irving is living up to LeBron James' MVP premonition as the Cavs keep rolling. https://t.co/BkQ1Eu0dkr pic.twitter.com/D5TcHdhbsD
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 18, 2016
With Kyrie and Love in the fold, LeBron has increased his field goal percentage to 52.5 percent and his eFG is 55.9 percent. With such a high usage rate last season, James struggled to score effeciently, scoring on just 41.7 percent of his baskets.
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What hasn’t always looked like a perfect marriage between both Irving and James seems to be clicking when the games matter the most. LeBron often harps on the potential he sees in Kyrie has a top player in the NBA and his play so far makes it hard to argue otherwise.