On the nights when Kyrie Irving is good – really good – he is otherworldly.
He sinks 3-pointers from every angle, from every spot on the court. He breaks down opponents with his dribble as if facing immobile objects. And he finds ways to make pinpoint passes to teammates that seem impossible.
Irving had one of those nights Tuesday, and it came against the opponent he loves to destroy most – the struggling New York Knicks. In the end, it meant the Cavaliers cruised to a 109-94 victory, as Irving recorded 37 points on 14-for-23 shooting, and dished out 11 assists.
That it came two games after Irving recorded the first zero-point outing of his career in going 0-for-9 in Atlanta, in the midst of his worst shooting start to a season, meant little, he insisted.
“It was just another game,” he said. “Every game I play, I just think about the next one. I haven’t shot it as well as I’ve want to, but I’ve put in a lot of work on off-days, and trying to reap some of the rewards. That’s what happened tonight.”
Unless you ask those around him.
“I think that (0-for-9 game) stuck with him for a little bit, put a little bit of a fire underneath him,” Jarrett Jack said. “He’s a very self-motivated kid, anyway. But he didn’t come out and press after that game.
“Obviously, that’s a scenario he’s probably never been a part of before, not scoring in a game. And some people probably would come out and push the envelope a little bit to force the issue. But he handled it like a professional, and he came out and was the catalyst in our game tonight.”
Perhaps it was an outburst that should have been expected. He has scored at least 21 points in five straight games against the Knicks, including a career-high 41-point performance Dec. 15, 2012. In three games against New York last season, he averaged 31.3 points and 5.7 assists.
And the Knicks have floundered all season, losing 11 of their last 13 games.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online Sports
