A lot of great things come to mind of any Cav’s fan when looking at Kyrie Irving’s career. From being the best rookie of his class to the MVP on the biggest stage of an All Star game, Kyrie has been nothing short of a astonishing point guard for the Cavaliers. He has also given Cleveland hope and emerged as a leader on a team plagued by instability. So as you can imagine, singling out his top ten greatest career moments is a bit ambitious. Nevertheless, we did it. Here are Kyrie Irving’s top 10 career highlights!
Begin the countdown on the next page!
10. This highlight from 2014 features Kyrie Irving facing off with fellow guard sensation Eric Bledsoe, producing an epic battle of proportions. Irving was electric and clutch, scoring 12 of his 23 points during the 4th quarter and (3-pt shooting percentage.) This win snapped a 4-game Cavalier skid.
9. In a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2013, Kyrie Irving dazzled the crowds of Quicken Loans Arena. In a complete underdog fashion, Kyrie finished the game strong, accumulating 35 points to upset the Thunder, 115 – 110. You know you’ve got a special player when he’s able to lock in 13 points in the final 2:52 of a game against a top-10 defense.
8. Kyrie truly proved his stardom in the 2013 season, especially with this performance. In December of 2013, The Cavs faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks in a neck-to-neck performance. The game went to overtime, where Kyrie made the final game-securing basket to give Cleveland the win; but he had much more of an impact on the game than with that one shot. Dominating the Bucks on both sides of the court, Kyrie made 2 extraordinary assists to set up crucial Cavalier buckets in overtime and had 4 monster blocks proving his might.
7. Kyrie Irving head into this game with an offensive frenzy that streaked for 9 games. In those last 9 games, he averaged 25.8 points, 47 percent shooting all over, 6.6 assists per game, shot 39% from 3-point territory. When facing the Hawks merely 20 days prior, Irving struggled. The Hawks held him to 4 assists and 0 points. Yes, that happened. Therefore, Kyrie definitely had something to prove during this contest. So how does 40 points and 9 assists sound?
6. It was Cleveland vs Utah in February of 2014, and man was it a fun one. Everything went right for the Cavaliers, especially for Irving. Irving earned his first career Triple Double, scoring 21 points, distributing the ball with 12 assists, and snagging 10 rebounds for the Wine and Gold. Oh yea! Cleveland also won by a 20 point blow-out!
5. On April of the 2014 season, Cavs fans witnessed another milestone in Kyrie’s year. Facing the Bobcats, Kyrie Irving had put up a career high in scoring with 44 total points. To make this highlight even more impressive, Irving was able to move the ball with 8 assists. This game came down to the wire, and Kyrie’s impeccable play wasn’t enough to lift the Cavs over the Bobcats late in OT.
4. Game Winning shot #1 – January 26th 2013, Cleveland is in Toronto. It has been a tough game for Cleveland, grueling at times to watch. The Toronto Raptors came to play and were not going to let the Cavaliers take this game that easily. Down by 2 points with 11 seconds on the clock, the young Cavaliers’ point guard casually brings the ball up the floor. Then as time expires, Irving decides to take a deep shot. He drained it, winning an exciting home game for Cleveland.
3. Game Winning shot #2 – January 29th 2012, as the 4th quarter rolls on against the Boston Celtics, it seems as though Cleveland might be down for the count. With 4:18 minutes left in the game the Cavaliers faced a 13-point deficit. Kyrie completely changed the pace of the game, leading the Cavs to a 12-0 run. I’m sure the Celtics didn’t expect to be shutout in the final 4 minutes of the game, but here they were only beating the Cavs by 1 point. Cleveland had brought it to within 1 point with under a minute left in the game. With 2 tenacious defensive stops, 3 offensive rebounds and 1 magical Kyrie Irving, the Cavs pulled off the miracle:
2. Game Winning Shot #3 – November 9th, 2013 the Cavaliers hosted the Philadelphia 76ers in a close contest of lead changes that eventually went into multiple OT’s. With more of the same in the first OT session, Kyrie changed up the game in the second. As the final seconds of the 2nd OT fell off the scoreboard, it seemed as though another OT might be played as the game was sitting at 125- 125. That’s when Irving topped off his 39 point and 12 assist night with a game winning drive to the lane that gives Irving enough space to put up a shot on the basket as time expires. Count that as another win for the Cavaliers courtesy of Kyrie Irving.
1. Game Winning Shot #4 – January 4th, 2013 Cleveland is visiting the Charlotte Bobcats. Irving is as dominant as he ever has been. Cleveland is up 15 points, 78 – 53 with 5:18 to go in the 3rd quarter, looking as if it was in the bag for the Cavs. The Bobcats then went on a rally, minimizing the discrepancy to 1 point with 4:38 left in the 4th. Nonetheless, Kyrie was determined to finish this game. The game is tied with 14 seconds to go, 104 – 104. The Cavaliers are relying on their young star to make the move to win the game. Kyrie beats his man off the dribble, drives the lane as if he is going to take it to the rim, and instead takes a fade-away jumper that would send the Cavs out of Charlotte with an unbelievable win! Cheers to you, Mr. Kyrie Irving!