Saadia Pervaiz | Cavs Nation
As the Cleveland Cavaliers welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder to town today, Dion Waiters is set to return to the Q to take on his former team. We at CavsNation decided to compile a countdown of Dion’s best moments as a Cavalier, from his best performances to his growing companionship with backcourt mate, Kyrie Irving. He had his ups and downs, and although the Cavs have been doing just fine without him, we wish him the best in Oklahoma City.
10) Dion Waiters’ Debut
Dion Waiters comes out with a strong performance in his Cavalier debut, scoring 17 points.
9) Dion’s Coming Out Party vs. Clippers
This was the moment in his rookie year that Dion started making noise around the league. He scored 28 points, while setting an NBA rookie record as well as a career high seven three pointers in a great road win against the high-flying Clippers.
8) 26 Points vs Brooklyn
In Brooklyn on one of the biggest stages with not only Jay Z and Beyonce watching, but also Commissioner Adam Silver as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who were in the midst of their first trip to the United States. Waiters came out and scored 26 points in an impressive blowout victory over the Nets.
7) 30 Points vs Oklahoma City
Dion Waiters scores 30 points in a quality performance against one of the NBA’s top teams. Who knew he’d end up playing for them later on?
6) 33 Points vs Sacramento
Dion Waiters’ career high 33 points
5) Dunking Insurance
Nothing like Dion Waiters hurting himself on a thunderous dunk in traffic, followed by a momentary embrace with Kyrie to assure us that he and Irving don’t quite hate each other.
4) More Reassurance
As Cavs fans, we can never have enough reassurance. After Kyrie Irving suffered through a broken jaw in practice early in the 2013-14 season, some reports surfaced that it was from Dion Waiters, who reportedly punched Irving in the face. They then took to this interview to clear the air and (again) assure us that maybe they don’t have malicious intentions towards one another.
3) This highflying dunk on Birdman
Waiters come flying in for arguably his best dunk.
2) Dion Waiters vs Tim Hardaway Jr.
2014’s Epic Shooting Showdown of Unprecedented Enormity. Ok, well maybe not, but this was still a big highlight of last year’s All Star Weekend.
1) Game Winner vs Detroit
Dion Waiters puts up his first career game winner in the Motor City to give the Cavaliers a road win. Loul Deng’s reaction was the real highlight here.