Far from 100%, Kyrie Irving gives LeBron and the Cavs the boost they needed
CLEVELAND – Kyrie Irving woke up Tuesday morning feeling better than he had the previous five mornings.
"I got out of bed, walking around, and 'Wow, this is going to be a great day. I can feel it,' " Irving said.
Bothered and slowed by a strained right foot and tendinitis in his left knee, Irving had his best game of the series, scoring 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting.
Combine Irving's gallant performance with LeBron James' game-high 38 points and the Cavaliers defeated the Chicago Bulls 106-101 in Game 5 on Tuesday, putting the Cavs up 3-2 in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Game 6 is Thursday in Chicago where the Cavs can wrap up the series.
Cavaliers coach David Blatt said Irving's performance wasn't more than he expected but "everything I could've expected."
No one could've expected Irving to have that kind of game, not after what was witnessed in the previous three games. The injuries limited Irving's speed, quickness and ability to finish at the rim, a staple of his game which grew exponentially from practicing the Mikan drill as a kid and figuring out creative ways to put the ball off the backboard and in the hoop.
In Cleveland's three previous games, Irving shot 31.3% from the field and most telling, he had converted just two of 14 shots inside the restricted area. He was an offensive and defensive liability, unable to score the way he normally does and the Bulls tried to expose him on the other end.
He refused to sit out a game, saying he couldn't look at himself in the mirror if he did, saying he wanted to be out there for his teammates.
How injured and sore was Irving? Maybe he was 60% in Games 3 and 4. Maybe 75% in Game 5 but still not 100%.
But as Blatt said before the game, "Yes to an extent it affects his performance. But do we want him on the court nonetheless? Absolutely. His best in the worst of conditions is invaluable to us and we want to get that from him. I'm not going to stop playing him just because perhaps he's not playing at 100% of his normal level."
Since he learned of Irving's injuries, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said he will not underestimate a hobbled Irving.
"I've said this before. Great players always have the ability to play great no matter the ailment they have. You can never let your guard down against them. Happens all the time," Thibodeau said.
Irving conceded this stretch – he's been hurting since Game 2 of the Boston series in the first round – has been the toughest mental challenge of his career.
"I want to do more and I want to be that guy for my teammates as well as LeBron," Irving said. "We know the dynamic of me and him (James) playing off one another shooting the ball and the other guys spacing the floor and when we need a bucket, it's me and LeBron and we take it upon ourselves to do it. When you can't do that, you have to come to grips with it."
On the off days between games, Irving didn't do much, other than receive treatment on the foot and knee and watch video.
"I was putting myself in the mental space to be ready to play," Irving said.
Irving was active from the start of Game 5, converting shots at the basket, a sign he was indeed feeling better. His three-pointer at the end of the first quarter gave Cleveland a 25-24 lead after it trailed the Bulls minutes earlier.
Irving still had trouble at times defensively, but not enough to keep him off the floor, especially when he was scoring like that.
And it helps to have James, who had his best game of the series, too. Bemoaning his lack of efficiency after wins and losses through the first four games of the series, James finally had a game he liked.
Asked after Game 4 if he might just have to live with inefficient performances to compensate for Irving's injury and Kevin Love's absence, James said, "If I get one game where I shoot 50%, we might be able to do some things."
Besides 38 points on 14-for-24 shooting and 9-for-12 at the foul line, James had 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals and three blocks, becoming just the third player in NBA postseason history to have at least 35 points 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks in a game, joining Dwyane Wade and Elvin Hayes.
James looked for his shot at the rim from the start, and at halftime, he had made 10-for-12 from the field and had 24 points.
He also had no turnovers – for the first time in a game this season and for just the seventh time in 166 career playoff games.
"'Yayyyy," James said, mocking his achievement after committing 15 turnovers in the two previous games.
But if you know James, you know the first thing he checks on the box score are team turnovers and individual turnovers. He has called some of his turnovers against the Bulls unacceptable.
"With as much as I was handling the ball … to not give the opposing team another possession or extra possessions, that's a huge stat for myself, and I never pat myself on the back ever, but I will now," James said.
James had a key block on a Derrick Rose drive that could've tied the score at 101, and Irving had a steal and saved the ball from going out of bounds with 10.4 seconds left and the Cavs up 103-99.
Irving and James had necessary help, but they delivered when necessary in a game where the Bulls wouldn't go away, not even down 17 in fourth quarter.
Irving and James had a good thing going on and off the court. Irving said he was serious about using the Mikan drill as a kid.
"I wasn't like him growing up so I wasn't taking off or anything like that," Irving said of James who was sitting right next to him.
James interrupted: "I did the Mikan drill."
Irving countered: "I didn't say you didn't do it. You were taking off when you were like 8. My game is predicated on angles off the backboard and practice, constantly and constantly and constantly and honing my craft."
On Tuesday, James and Irving worked all the right angles.
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.
NBA PLAYOFFS: Best of the second round