CLEVELAND: Kyrie Irving’s NBA career is only 14 games old, and he is already the Cavaliers’ pulse.
Seemingly stoked for a Friday matchup with Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose that was thwarted by Rose’s late scratch with a toe injury, Irving still set the tone from the opening tip. He hit his first four shots, three from long range, briefly giving fans in Quicken Loans Arena hope that the Cavs could surprise one of the league’s elite.
That was not to be — the Bulls handed the Cavs their worst home loss in their 42 seasons, 114-75, much of that thanks to 19 points and 14 rebounds from ex-Cav Carlos Boozer, who drew boos and hisses with nearly every touch.
Irving blamed himself, as any good quarterback should, even though he could do nothing about his teammates’ pathetic defense or their ineffectiveness on the boards. His shooting touch eventually left him as he finished 5-of-11 from the field for 13 points.
Every time Irving went to the bench, the Cavs lost their sizzle and the arena lost its buzz.
With Irving on the court, all things seemed possible. Without him, at least on this night, average was a struggle.
Cavs coach Byron Scott continued to stick with his routine, subbing out Irving around the five- or six-minute mark in the first quarter. This time it came with 4:48 left in the opening period and the Cavs trailing by one. When the quarter ended, the Bulls led by eight.
“I came out and when I came back in, it was kind of hard to get going again,” Irving said. “There’s no excuses. There was a lack of effort on my end, defensive end and offensive end, lack of aggression. I just have to learn from it.”
After playing only 11 games in his only college season, Irving refused to question what Scott is doing to limit his minutes.
“I completely believe in Coach Scott’s wisdom and what he’s doing out there,” Irving said. “If he does take me out when I’m hot, it’s his decision. He’s the coach and I’m following his lead. Whenever that happens, I respect it and go to the bench. When he calls me back up, I try to give as big an effort as I can.”
The effect was just as dramatic when Irving left the game for good with 4:49 remaining in the third quarter. By then the rout was on, with the Bulls ahead 75-57. But as soon as Irving departed, the Bulls piled on 10 unanswered points to pad a lead that eventually swelled to 42.
With Scott sticking to his guns, Irving played only 22 minutes, 15 in the first half. That was below his season average of 27.9.
The anticipated showdown of two point guards who were the first overall pick in the draft – Irving in 2011, Rose in 2008 – drew a crowd of 17,871, including Browns strong safety T.J. Ward. But reigning league MVP Rose missed his third consecutive game with a sprained left toe.
Even with the lackluster effort by the Cavs, Irving gave fans a few flashes of brilliance. His best moment was a fast-break behind-the-back pass to Anderson Varejao with 6:53 left in the third quarter that resulted in two made free throws for the Cavs’ center. A few seconds before, Irving whipped a one-handed pass cross-court that went virtually unnoticed.
Harder to miss was the promise Irving offered when his shot was falling. Down 6-0, Irving connected on his first 3-pointer. In a span of 5:04, Irving scored 11 points and the Cavs took a 16-15 lead. Besides going perfect on three shots beyond the arc, Irving caught the Bulls napping and drove the lane for a layup.
On Thursday, Irving said it would be a measuring stick to face the Bulls. The Bulls took that stick and rapped the Cavs across the knuckles. Irving’s next chance for a face-off with Rose will come March 2 in Cleveland.
Even then, Scott might still be yanking Irving when he’s hot. It’s a long, compacted season and Scott, who played alongside one of the greatest point guards in league history in Magic Johnson, won’t run his potential star into the ground. Even if it means many more ugly nights ahead.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at http://marla.ohio.com/. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MarlaRidenour.
