Duke Blue Devils: Irving Scores 30 in Game 3
Former Duke Blue Devils guard Kyrie Irving was a big contributor in the big Game 3 win over the Warriors.
For Duke Blue Devils guard Kyrie Irving, does going home really solve everything? The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors by thirty last night. Irving helped out too with thirty points. So what does this say about Irving’s play for the series? Are we all good now?
First off Kevin Love was out with a concussion. That meant that the Cavs scoring had to come from LeBron James and Irving. They responded by scoring sixty-two points and still working the ball to the other two options on the court. J.R. Smith knocked some threes and ended up with twenty points of his own while Tristan Thompson had fourteen to go with his thirteen rebounds.
Home cooking did not really contribute to Irving’s points this time. He made three foul shots and those were the only three he got to shoot. The other twenty-seven of his points came from field goals. Those occurred when Irving decided to attack the rim. He also played off of that to collect eight assists.
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Better Cavaliers defense also allowed Irving some transition points that did not exist in the first two games of the series. Love’s absence allowed Cleveland to better matchup on defense. Draymond Green was a nonfactor with James covering him.
For Irving, both of the Warriors guards had bad shooting nights from deep. Back in Game 1, it was hard to believe that the backcourt of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry would have more than one bad night in this series. It did happen, though.
So everything worked the Cavs and for Irving. It might have been a shot of confidence, but the Cavs need to make sure it was not a shot of overconfidence. They did not see the Warriors at their best game last night. It will be important for the Cavs to anticipate the adjustments the Warriors might make. Things like ‘is this the last we will see of Andrew Bogut this series?’
Next: Irving Might Run Olympic Team
As for the series, the Finals is on schedule. The series is 2-1 with the home team winning each game. A series really doesn’t start until the road team wins.