Kyrie Irving stars as Cleveland Cavaliers squeak past Dallas Mavericks 91-88 - NBA Recap
It’s still early days for the Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Kyrie Irving but the way he is performing makes it look like he’s been in the NBA for years.
Irving has all the raw ingredients needed for success. He has got the agility, skills and more importantly he has the ability to perform in pressure situations; a trait that can definitely help him become one of the elite players
in the league in the coming years.
Last Sunday, he drilled a match winning shot in the clutch to see his side to an important win over the Boston Celtics. On February 4th, he repeated the brilliance down the stretch by leading his team to an outstanding
91-88 win, this time over the reigning NBA world champions Dallas Mavericks.
With less than 4 minutes remaining in the game, the Mavs were ahead by 3 points, 86-83, however what followed next was a 6-0 spurt by the Cavs that got them in front, 89-86. Jason Terry then made two free throws to make it 88-89
for the Mavs and opened the game up.
A moment of brilliance was required by both teams to seal the deal and it came from the rookie Irving. Kyrie drove through the lane for a reverse layup with 15 seconds in the game and the Cavs ended up winning by 3 points.
Kyrie was outstanding throughout and led the Cavaliers with 20 points on 9 for 17 from the floor and 7 assists.
"I just feel my teammates' confidence going down the stretch," he explained. "They continue to give me the ball and they have the confidence in me to make the right play for myself and for them. Once you have that confidence, it's
easy going into the fourth quarter.”
Antawn Jamison pounded 19 points on 7 for 9 from the charity stripe and 9 boards while Anderson Varejao completed yet another double-double with 17 points and 17 boards.
Cavaliers Coach Byron Scott was all praise for his young guard.
"He has a unique ability to get to the basket. When he gets there, he has a way of finishing. Once he gets around guys, he is just a great finisher and he can finish with either hand."
Dirk Nowitzki paced the Mavericks with a game high 24 points on 2 for 2 from the long range and 4 for 5 from the free throw line. Jason Terry had 17 points on an aggressive 4-for-8 from downtown while Delonte West and Brandon Wright
both accumulated 11 points apiece.
The Mavs outclassed the Cavaliers in the shooting department (47.8%-39.8%) but committed 21 turnovers which allowed easy points in transition to the Cavs and in the end, played an important part in the Mavericks loss.
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