After a turbulent month in January which saw the Cavaliers go 7-8, the Wine and Gold have righted the ship — sizzling hot in February. They’re currently 8-1 through the month after they put the Knicks to the sword tonight inside Quicken Loans Arena. Charles Oakley was in attendance to see the Cavs turn it on against the Knicks, with Kyrie Irving dropping 23 in 30 minutes, and LeBron James registering a triple-double of 18 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists.
The red hot performances through February is no accident, as the Cavs have gone up a gear in their intensity in the hopes of holding off the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Washington Wizards for first place in the Eastern Conference.
Before the Knicks outing, the Cavs were already averaging 121.4 points this month, shooting 51% from the field and an incredible 44% from the three-point line with at least 15 threes in six games.
Despite working out multiple guards in the hopes of acquiring a back-up point guard as well as injuries to main pieces Kevin Love and J.R. Smith, team leaders LeBron James and Kyrie Irving have steadied their teammates, and kept them laser focused. Their fantastic play has also been an example, with some extraordinary numbers been put up by the both of them.
Before their dominant display over the Knicks, Irving had scored 25 points in a career-high five consecutive, and made 29 consecutive free throws. If that wasn’t enough, James was averaging 27.1 points per game, shooting an incredible 63% from the field and 60% from downtown (20-33) along with 10.6 assists in the month.
These staggering numbers have seen the Cavs continue to control the East, and Irving understands it’s what is needed even in the likely event that more pieces will be added after the trade deadline, via Cleveland.com.
“I think the best thing is to realize who we have, what kind of pieces we’ll be adding if so, ending tomorrow, and then integrate them the best we can and then hold the fort down until we get our guys back, that’s the best we can do,” Kyrie Irving said.
Irving just wants to continue this good form heading into the last stretch of the regular season before the playoffs commence in June.
“As one of the leaders of the team with Bron, Bron has already been raising his play,” Irving said. “I’ve just been trying to stay steady along with him and lead these guys every single day. We understand that it’s a huge journey coming up and end of the season is coming up as well. We definitely need to move fast, because it’s going to take a little time. We definitely always need to set our expectations high, especially for one another. We have some great players on our team, great pieces. That’s what makes us good.”
Look for Uncle Drew and King James to continue to up their play and be the dynamic force on a nightly basis. The Cavs will need their big guns firing as they look to control the east before welcoming Smith and Love back into the lineup.