An All-Star Game MVP trophy sits on his mantle or nightstand or wherever the heck NBA players plop such items. He has the two highest individual scoring games in the NBA this season, 57 and 55 points. But Kyrie Irving gets pumped about one thing.
“Winning,” the Cavaliers point guard said Thursday before practice at Baruch College, where the Cavs prepped for the Nets Friday in Brooklyn. “Winning, that’s the only thing that matters. That and being on this team. Winning is fun.”
So yeah, the Cavs have been a real whoopee cushion of fun lately. They are 14-4 since the All-Star break, 47-26 overall (that would be three more victories than the Knicks and Nets combined). They took the powerful Grizzlies apart by 22 points in Memphis Wednesday, their seventh double-digit win this month.
Yeah, there’s LeBron James and Kevin Love and a terrific supporting cast that includes three ex-Knicks: J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov. But Irving, the Australia-born, West Orange, NJ-reared guard, has been at the forefront as much as anyone.
“He’s just grown every single day. Each month has been a learning experience for him,” James said. “He’s got more serious, understanding what this moment can be for himself, for us as a team and like I said he’s the head of the snake for us being the point guard, being the catalyst, starting it all defensively.”
Recent reports suggest frustration between James and Love. But with Irving, James sees a refined chemistry of who is the scorer, who is the playmaker on any given night.
“He knew it was going to be an adjustment for him. I had to make the same adjustment a few years ago. So early on it was tough for him for sure. But he’s definitely figured it out,” James said. “However the game presents itself that night will decide who’s going to be the lead assist guy and who’s going to be the scoring guy so we have that chemistry right now where we can play off one another.”
And with a team that is just plowing over people, with averages of 21.9 points and 5.2 assists, Irving has something he admits took time to cultivate.
“My confidence,” Irving said. “To be honest, it took a while for it to develop. My dad was nervous for me for a while because he didn’t think I had that killer in me to just go out there and destroy people. I was too nice on the court when I was younger and as I got older … I just started steamrolling with my confidence.”
The Cavs are following, especially with that steamroller thing. Legend says they once did those things in New York. Like three seasons ago when the Knicks won 54 games.
“It seems extremely distant, like one of the first years I was in the league, that’s how far back it seems,” said Smith, who sees little in the return for himself, Shumpert and Tyson Chandler, all part of the Knicks’ 54-win 2012-13 season. “Honestly, I don’t really think about it. If anything, it’s their fault for making a bad business move, I guess.”
Smith shook his head about the plight of the East with teams scrambling for 40 wins to make the playoffs. Teams like the Nets.
“They’ve got a good core of guys,” Smith said. “It’s just a matter of putting it all together. They’ve had their ups and downs this season but overall, they should be a much better team than what they are.”