Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shoots in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. At bottom, Kyrie Irving passes around Marcin Gortat of the Washington Wizards during the first half of their game on April 15.
By Jason Lloyd/The Akron Beacon Journal
Kyrie Irving was never on the cover of Sports Illustrated in high school. He was never hailed as the Chosen One or given a nickname of royalty.
Yet the similarities between Irving and LeBron James are still evident.
“The burden that was put on me is probably a little higher,” James said, “but the expectations are around the same. They expect greatness out of that kid and that’s exactly what he does.”
As the Cavaliers prepared for Game 3 of their opening-round series in Boston, Irving is proving once again the moment is not too big for him. His postseason career spans just two games, but he has dazzled in both.
Much like James announced his arrival by posting a triple-double in his first career playoff game, Irving has been equally brilliant offensively. He has totaled 56 points in the first two games of the series and combined with James to score the Cavs’ final 28 points in Tuesday’s Game 2 victory.
There was a time when James had to score 25 consecutive points all on his own to earn the Cavs a crucial playoff victory against the Detroit Pistons. Similarly, Irving struggled through his first three years in the league carrying nearly all of the offensive burden on a young and rebuilding team.
Teammates privately grumbled at how little Irving would pass the ball, while Irving insisted he was only playing the way he was asked and doing what was necessary to try to win. All of that is over now.
“You’re just at ease. You’re playing with guys that know the game extremely well and have been in this position before,” Irving said. “I think the biggest thing for us is they know what to expect out of me and I know what to expect out of them.”
Both Irving and James were No. 1 overall picks expected to save the same franchise. It’s just unique that Irving’s burden was made heavier by James’ departure five years ago. Irving began answering questions about James the night the Cavs won the draft lottery in 2011 and it never really stopped.
James’ decision to bolt from the Cavs to Miami in 2010 played at least a small role in the angst over whether Irving would sign a max extension last summer, which he did — within hours of being allowed to do so. Coach David Blatt believes Irving’s commitment to Cleveland helped guide James home.
“When LeBron saw that and saw with players like Kyrie, he had the kind of opportunity and teammates that he could help grow and to grow with in order to make our team a strong one,” Blatt said. “Obviously, Kyrie being in the league a number of years, knows LeBron, knows what he’s capable of and recognizes the value of working with a guy like that and being led by a guy like that.”
It hasn’t always gone smoothly. When Blatt instructed Irving before an early-season game at the Utah Jazz that he was to get James and Kevin Love involved in the offense first before looking for his own shot, Irving responded with 34 points and zero assists.
James became more proactive in running the offense shortly thereafter and Irving, to his credit, relinquished control of the ball.
“I make it tough on him because he can handle it and he has the potential to be great if he’s not there already,” James said. “He has a lot of room for improvement and I’m going to continue to be tougher on him than anybody on this team.”
Irving has vaulted up the point guard rankings this season, but if there is a next step for him to take, the organization would like to see him become a better distributor. Irving still has a scorer’s mentality first, second and third. When Irving consistently makes others on the team better — and when he puts forth effort defensively more consistently — he can enter the debate as the league’s best point guard.
For now, he’s smart enough to know there is plenty he doesn’t yet know about winning. That’s why James is here teaching him.
There was a game earlier this season, Irving said, when James was controlling the offense and ran the same pick-and-roll five times in a row. The Cavs scored on every possession. Then James pulled Irving aside and told him what he was seeing and what Irving, as the point guard, needed to see as well.
“He’s a constant teacher and I’m a student of the game,” Irving said. “He has been through far more experiences than I have. He’s constantly teaching. You want to take advice from someone who has done it before and who has been successful at it.”
