In Cleveland, sports fans have long proven that they are not very quick to forget. A certain free agent departure in 2010 is evidence of that.
But when it comes to their own, when it comes to the most dazzling Cavaliers player who now takes the court nightly, memories, apparently, are short.
One night after failing to score a single point for the first time in his NBA career, Kyrie Irving received an in-game message of support from a fan, and faced down the player he most looks up to in the league, Chris Paul.
The final result was one fan taken into custody after rushing on the court, tapping Irving on the shoulder and displaying a shirt that read, “Kyrie Don’t Leave” — and a Cavaliers 88-82 victory over the L.A. Clippers at The Q.
Irving had 20 points on 6-for-15 shooting while also dishing out six assists and maintaining his composure after the fan strolled onto the court with about three minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The fan calmly tapped Irving on the shoulder as the point guard was back-peddling down the court to play defense. Paul dribbled the ball to midcourt before facing the fan, picking up the ball and staring him down. Referee Gary Zielinski quickly stepped toward the fan, and security swarmed him to escort him off the court.
“He just said ‘Kyrie, don’t leave.'” Irving said. “Just a prideful Cleveland fan. I love them.”
The fan, a minor, was taken into custody by Cleveland police, and charges are pending, Cavaliers PR said. He is the second fan to rush onto the court at The Q in the last two seasons. In March, a fan wearing a shirt that read “We Miss You, Come Back 2014” ran up to LeBron James during the Cavaliers-Miami Heat game.
It was just part of a bizarre night of basketball that also included a tangled fight between Anderson Varejao and Clippers forward Blake Griffin with two minutes remaining in the game, one that resulted in a technical foul for Griffin and another technical for Jarrett Jack as he entered the fray.
In between the absurdity, the Cavaliers found a way to victory by way of dominating big men and frantic defense that held the Clippers to 32 percent shooting.
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