The Dallas Mavericks are in The Land Tuesday night, which means Cleveland Cavaliers fans can witness franchise legend Kyrie Irving play at home again. Even though he’s no longer playing for the Cavs, the city of Cleveland still loves Irving, who got a warm welcome in his return to his old stomping grounds.
Irving spent his first six seasons in the NBA with the Cavs, who took him first overall at the 2011 NBA Draft. He played an instrumental role in Cleveland’s historic and unforgettable title run during the 2015-16 season. Alongside another Cavs icon, LeBron James, Irving helped Cleveland pull off an epic come-from-behind series win in the 2016 Finals against Stephen Curry and the high-powered Golden State Warriors. That is simply not forgotten and will forever be etched in the memory of people in Cleveland.
In 2017, Irving was traded by the Cavs to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and a couple of picks. He also played for the Brooklyn Nets before arriving in Dallas via a swap just before the 2023 NBA trade deadline. In 381 games with the Cavs, Irving averaged 21.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from behind the arc.
The Cavs are hosting Irving and the Mavericks looking to create momentum after snapping a two-game skid with a 114-105 win on the road against the Washington Wizards last Sunday. After dealing with the Mavs, Cleveland will hit the road again to face the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.