Cleveland Cavaliers: The Magnificent Maturation of Kyrie Irving

After attacks on his play, questions of his leadership and numerous trade rumors, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving has earned his respect by delivering on the game’s biggest stage.

The improbable has happened. The Cleveland Cavaliers have overcome inexperience, a deflating Finals loss last season, chemistry issues this season and a once in a lifetime juggernaut of a Golden State Warriors team to bring their deprived sports town its first championship in 52 years.

While most of the adulation and praise will go to the man who’s been synonymous with Cleveland sports since his junior year at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in nearby Akron and whose career goal has been to deliver a championship to northeast Ohio, one of the real difference makers and the true unsung hero in this epic 2016 Finals is a player who some thought the Cavaliers would be better off without.

Throughout the season, there was plenty talk about the play of Kyrie Irving — and most of it was negative.

First, Irving was criticized for coming out of the gate slow after coming back from a devastating knee injury that knocked him out of last year’s Finals.

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After that, rumblings came about that teammates believed his score-first, pass-second style of play was cancerous to the Cavs’ offensive chemistry and that he lacked leadership skills.

There were even rumors that he was growing discontent with playing second fiddle to LeBron James and secretly wished to be traded.

Fans and talking heads alike downplayed Irving’s significance to this Cavaliers team and even suggested they might be better off dealing the point guard for a veteran leader like Los Angeles Clippers star and James’ best friend, Chris Paul.

Rather than giving in to the controversy surrounding him, Irving decided to prove his worth by elevating his game — an approach that paid off big in the postseason and on the world’s biggest stage.

After having the most pedestrian regular season since his rookie year, Irving took his play to another level in the postseason, averaging 25.2 points a night on shooting splits of .475/.440/.875 in 21 games.

Then, in a hotly contested Finals, Irving removed all doubt about his star power and worth, posting 27.1 points per game on shooting splits of .468/.405/.939 while scoring 30 or more points in three of the last five games, averaging a whopping 2.1 steals per game and thoroughly outplaying the reigning two-time MVP over the course of seven games.

In the decisive game, it was Irving — not James — who saved the day for the Cavaliers, scoring 12 of his 26 points in a crucial third quarter and sealing the championship with an icy fadeaway three over Stephen Curry with 53.3 seconds left.

The shot was really indicative of Irving’s postseason and his maturation as a player over the last two years.

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When the Cavs’ Big 3 was originally formed, many questioned whether or not Irving was mature enough to be a solid, reliable second option to King James in the way that Miami Heat guard

was.

Though it proved a difficult task for the young star to secede to arguably the greatest player in the world, this postseason showed an Irving who has finally figured out how to let the King be the King while still finding and keeping his rhythm.

The two seemed to just flow off of each other throughout the series and Irving had no problem picking up the slack, initiating the offense and keeping the Cavaliers afloat in times when James was struggling to find his shot.

Irving also showed off his cold-blooded clutch scoring tactics that have long earned him praise from the likes of king of the cold-blooded Kobe Bryant and others, showing fearlessness in crucial moments against a team that had one of the top defenses in the league geared towards thwarting isolation players.

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The player affectionately known as Uncle Drew may have been a star before, but at the tender age of 24 the young point guard has already elevated his stardom to new heights and put the league on notice that he is a serious force to be reckoned with.