Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving Proving To Be A Difference-Maker In NBA Finals

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving has been a difference-maker in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Golden State Warriors in six games in last year’s NBA Finals. One of the players who was noticeably absent from the Cavaliers’ lineup in that series was Kyrie Irving.

Shortly after the series concluded, Irving stated that the Cavaliers would have won if he and Kevin Love would have been healthy. Of course there was no tangible evidence to support Irving’s claims, but it was an interesting discussion nonetheless.

Fast forwarding to the present, after an impressive run through the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers would be given a shot at redemption, as they would once again face off against the team that ended their championship hopes a year ago.

That being said, would Irving make good on his bold declaration from last year?

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Cleveland Cavaliers

Through the first two games, Irving’s numbers were not overly impressive. While he did average 18 points per contest, he converted just 12 of his 36 attempts overall; shot just 1-for-7 from distance and had more turnovers (six) than assists (five).

Since then, Irving, a.k.a. “Uncle Drew,” has started turning things around. In Games 3 and 4, Irving’s averages included 32 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals per contest.

But despite his improved play, the Cavaliers were facing a 3-1 series deficit, as the series returned to Oakland for Game 5.

Being that the Warriors set a record for most wins in the regular season, along with the fact that they were 50-3 at Oracle Arena; the odds were in their favor to close out the series on their home court.

More from Cleveland Cavaliers

• Latest intel calls Donovan Mitchell’s future with the Cavs into question
• 5 players who will challenge Victor Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year
• Cleveland Cavaliers: Analyzing the Max Strus acquisition
• Ranking the 5 best available shooting guards in 2023 NBA free agency
• NBA Rumors: Cavs have secret weapon to lure LeBron back to Cleveland

Going into that game, most of us expected

to play well because he was averaging 31.7 points per contest in elimination games.

But if the Cavaliers were going to stave off elimination and prevent the Warriors from concluding their historic season in front of a raucous crowd, they would need someone else to step up and help James lead the Cavaliers to an improbable victory.

Enter Kyrie Irving.

As expected, with his team’s back against the wall, James had a great performance, scoring 41 points on 16-of-30 shooting to go along with 16 rebounds and seven assists.

While James’ contributions were solid, Irving torched the Warriors’ defense as well, matching James for game-high honors with 41 points on a sizzling 17-for-24 from the floor, including a 5-for-7 effort from beyond the arc.

And by the way, it is also worth noting that Irving was an impressive 10-of-14 from the field on contested shot attempts.

As a result of the outstanding efforts from both Irving and James, the Cavaliers left Oracle Arena with a stunning 112-97 victory, sending the series back to Quicken Loans Arena for Game 6 — something that didn’t seem likely after the fourth-quarter collapse in Game 4.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

Not only did this performance help the Cavaliers keep their championship hopes alive, but it also continued to show that Irving is having an impact in these Finals while holding his own against the two-time MVP as well.

Curry is averaging 22.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per contest on shooting splits of .424/415/.944. Meanwhile, Irving is averaging 28.2 points, 4.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds on .487/.407/.909 splits.

Based on the stats, it is easy to see that Irving’s numbers are similar to Curry’s. If history is any indicator, James will come out with a similar effort in Game 6, as he has averaged 32.5 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in his last four elimination games.

The question is can Irving produce another lights-out performance as well?

If the answer to that question is no, then the Warriors will celebrate winning the title on Cleveland’s home court yet again.

More hoops habit: 25 Greatest Rookie Seasons Of All-Time

However, if Irving continues to play at a high level, the Cavaliers will push the defending champs to a seventh game for the second straight round, and we all know that anything can happen in a Game 7.