Kyrie Irving Put On A Show

Ever hit the snooze bar a few too many times?? Yeah, me too. And you finally wake up. You’re running frantically around the house, trying to get to work on time. You show up right on time, but you can still feel that nervous energy flowing. Once settled in though, you tend to exceed expectations. Ya know, really make up for the way your day started.

That was Lebron James on Tuesday night. Yes, we’re talking about Lebron James again….

Get used to it. Everything is about Lebron James. He is the face of the NBA. Praised for the victories and blamed for the losses. Anyway….

Lebron’s poor play from Game 3 spilled over to Game 4. He looked disinterested. He lacked the aggressive nature we saw in games 1 and 2. The Cavaliers found themselves down 10 points at halftime, and trailed by as many as 16. It’s a good thing Kyrie Irving brought his ‘A Game’ last night. While Lebron became a spectator with early foul trouble (we’ll get into that a little later), Kyrie put his entire team on his back. Kyrie finished with 42 points (21 in the 3rd quarter)!! He was extremely efficient, shooting 68% from the field (15-22). For those who haven’t noticed, Kyrie Irving is the real deal. Outside of Russell Westbrook, he and Stephen Curry are the most electrifying point guards in the game. He has the best ball handling skills in the league (sorry Steph), can shoot from half-court, and is an absolute wizard when he drives the lane.

Kyrie Irving is the SOLE reason the Cavaliers aren’t hitting the panic button today.

Back to last night we go. Lebron James committed 4 fouls in the 1st half. How often do you hear that?! I have one question for Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue: WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!?! How could you leave Lebron on the floor with 3 fouls and 7 minutes left in the 1st half?? Okay, maybe that was 2 questions….

Lue is lucky Lebron is a smart player. Lebron didn’t pick up another foul for the remainder of the game. But imagine if Lebron fouled out in the 3rd quarter, and Kyrie’s twisted ankle in the 3rd quarter caused him to leave the game?? The Cavaliers would have been ‘up you know what creak without a paddle’. Instead, Lebron and Kyrie dominated the 3rd quarter. They emerged from the locker room, down 10 at halftime, with a vengeance. They combined for 30 of the Cavaliers 40 points in the 3rd quarter. Yeah, I’d say their ON/OFF switch works just fine.

The Cavaliers now lead this series 3 games to 1 and are 1 game away from the NBA Finals. This would be Lebron James’ 7th consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. Let that sink in for a moment….

The Cavaliers will win Game 5 back in Beantown and will punch their ticket to the NBA Finals, which tip-off June 1st. Check out Game 5 on TNT on Thursday @ 8:30 P.M. EST. Keep this in perspective: while the Cavaliers are schlepping their tired bodies back to Boston, the Golden State Warriors have their feet up on the couch in the comfort of their own home.

Will the Cavaliers playing an extra game prove costly in the NBA Finals?? Tell me in the comment section below.

Since you enjoy my writing, follow me over to intheneutralzone.com where I am a contributing author there as well. You can also follow me on twitter @DaveEttinger2 or like me on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/DaveTalksSports. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!