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On a night when most of the Cavaliers were out of sync, their lead point guard took charge and carried the team to a huge victory over the defending champions. Kyrie Irving was simply unconscious as he scored at will, overshadowing Tony Parker`s big night. It took Uncle Drew 20 made field goals to come up with most of his season, career, and all-time Cavalier high 57 points in San Antonio. It was a complete display of offensive genius featuring difficult, creative, and clutch baskets from the 22-year old phenom. We compiled a list of his ten biggest buckets from that historic night.
10 – 6th point
Kyrie Irving faked his way to taking the James Jones screen before going back the other way, euro-stepping around Tiago Splitter, and finishing with the left hand at the rim.
Click “Next” to see Kyrie’s ninth best play of the night!
9 – 22nd point
Kyrie Irving dribbles the ball, takes a screen and goes behind the back the other way. Tony Parker made the huge mistake of going under the screen because Irving knocked it down with ease!
Click “Next” to see Kyrie’s eighth best play of the night!
8 – 12th point
Kyrie Irving shook off Tony Parker to drive towards the hoop where Tim Duncan awaits, but that’s none of Irving’s concern as he successfully puts up a left-handed shot against an all-time great. While the game significance of this shot wasn’t that high, its poster/wallpaper potential meant a lot.
Click “Next” to see Kyrie’s seventh best play of the night!
7 – 51st point
Kyrie Irving cracked the 50-point mark via a tough and-one basket in overtime. With the ball in his hands at the top of the key, Irving took on the challenge presented by defensive demon Kawhi Leonard and drove to the hoop, splitting the defense of Leonard and Tony Parker to score on a one-hander despite taking off on the wrong foot.
Click “Next” to see Kyrie’s sixth best play of the night!
6 – 43rd point
Fast forward to the 5:00 mark of the video, Kyrie Irving received an inbound pass from LeBron James to find himself in the corner with a chance for a three ball. Danny Green, also known for his defensive ability, had good position to shadow Irving’s shot but it wasn’t good enough for a talent like KI. He nonchalantly sinks the contested three ball which gave the Cavaliers tons of hope after being down by 6 with almost half a minute remaining in regulation.
Click “Next” to see Kyrie’s fifth best play of the night!
5 – 16th point
Kyrie Irving does a half spin towards the middle before coming back and driving sideline to baseline on Tony Parker. Irving muscles up a shot at the rim, getting it to go while drawing the foul for the sweet and-1!
Click “Next” to see Kyrie’s fourth best play of the night!
4 – 39th point
At the 4:33 mark of the video, the Cavaliers were down by seven with less than a minute remaining in regulation. Most players would have accepted defeat at this point especially when they’re up against a team like San Antonio but Kyrie Irving is not like most players. His put-back [and-one] off a Tristan Thompson miss started the Cavs’ run which, apparently, he also finished.
Click “Next” to see Kyrie’s third best play of the night!
3 – 34th point
Another one of Kyrie Irving’s untouchable maneuvers, his wide array of slick moves was again on display as he took on 3 Spurs in total to eventually get the bucket. Belinelli was the first victim until Splitter, all pun intended, helped only to see his defense get split by Irving as he ultimately drove against a hapless Danny Green underneath.
Click “Next” to see Kyrie’s second best play of the night!
2 – 55th point
Kyrie Irving tied his [then] career high of 55 points with a difficult three pointer escaping the length of Boris Diaw. It also gave back the lead to the Cavaliers, 122-118, with a minute and twenty left in overtime. Irving added another clutch shot to his resume by hitting a difficult shot with the shot clock running down.
Click “Next” to see Kyrie’s best play of the night!
1 – 46th point
Kyrie Irving capped off the improbable run by the Cavaliers in regulation when he sank a three pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. He had to dust off Tony Parker off a Tristan Thompson screen to catch the ball and ultimately convert on the game tying three in front of the outstretched arms of Kawhi Leonard. Degree of difficulty, check. Clutch factor, three checks.