With Avery Bradley glued to him in the fourth quarter Thursday night, Kyrie Irving broke out his own lightning-quick version of Tim Hardaway’s UTEP 2-Step crossover, and got to the hole for a great left-handed finish.
Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers grabbed a 3-zip series lead by taking down the overmatched Boston Celtics 103-95.
Prior to Game 3, in which he finished with 13 points and six assists, Kyrie and teammate LeBron James talked about their evolving relationship.
Per the Akron Beacon Journal:
“The burden (coming into the NBA as top draft picks) 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.”
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.”
“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.” […] “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.”
