The Cleveland Cavaliers’ future is in Kyrie Irving’s hands

With 6:46 left in the second quarter of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron James picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench, his Cavaliers trailing the Celtics by 10 points. Boston was gifted an opportunity to try to tie the series, but instead Kyrie Irving took over.

About a minute later, Irving faced up Kelly Olynyk at the top of the arc, took a couple of jab steps, hopped backwards and launched a 3-pointer 30 feet away from the basket. Bottom. Marcus Smart tried to respond with a floater in the lane, but missed off the back iron. Irving grabbed the rebound, drove by Smart above the break and finished around Jonas Jerebko. It’s the sort of play that, over the years, we’ve come to expect from James, not necessarily Irving.

Irving scored 12 points in the final 5:11 of the second quarter, then exploded for 21 in the third. He crossed over and jab stepped on any hopes the Celtics had of stealing another win on the road, leading the Cavaliers to a 112-99 win and a 3-1 lead in the series. Irving played 41 minutes, and finished the game with 42 points on 15-of-22 shooting. It’s the sort of big game box score we’ve come to expect from James, not necessarily Irving.

Read More: The Cavaliers need a backup plan for George and Butler

After the game, Irving was asked if, as he approaches the prime of his career, he’d thought about taking the torch from James.

"“It’s hard not to think about,” Irving said. “As I continue to get older, I’m playing with an unbelievable player in LeBron. From an outsider’s perspective, it could be seen a few ways. For me, it hasn’t been anything short of difficult trying to figure out when will it be my time. When will it … the honest answer for me is I cannot give any energy to anything that people say would be best for the team or even sometimes what I think would be best. My job is to be in the moment, especially with an unbelievable player like him.”"

Unlike his rival in the West, Irving hasn’t been the best player on a winning team (let alone a championship team). But for the Cavaliers to reach a higher level, they’ll have to turn the clocks to Kyrie time.

*****

Down 2-1 to the Clippers in Round 1 of the 2014 Playoffs, Stephen Curry had the game of his career. He scored 33 points, including making seven of the 14 3-pointers he attempted. It was the first frost of the snow-ball effect Curry would become known for. Instead of going down 3-1, the sixth-seeded Warriors would take the third-seeded Clippers to seven games. Curry scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of Game 7, though Golden State ultimately lost. Still, the message was clear: Curry and his Warriors were just getting started.

The next season, Curry torched the NBA, winning his first MVP award at 26-years-old and leading the Warriors to the 2015 championship, spoiling LeBron’s homecoming. In 2016 he became the league’s first unanimous MVP. For four seasons, Curry was the leader of Golden State’s big three of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. They all grew together, took steps under Steve Kerr together and Curry made his mark. He was one of the best five players in the NBA, and the Warriors were his team. Then he shared them with Kevin Durant, willingly going from undisputed No. 1 to 1A or 1B.

We’ll never know if Irving could have approached similar heights without James. If he could have became one of the best five or six players in the league, leading a group of Tristan Thompson and Andrew Wiggins to the peak of the NBA. After making the All-Star game in his second and third season, he was joined by James. Irving continued to develop, but things changed. It was no longer about Irving, and — despite what James wrote in his return letter — patience wouldn’t be tolerated. For better or worse, for whatever team James is on, it’s always all about him.

But for those first three seasons, and for a few minutes in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, it was Irving’s show.

****

With 55 seconds left in a tied Game 7 of the NBA Finals, it was Irving’s moment. He took Curry off the dribble and drained a 3-pointer that gave Cleveland a 92-89 lead and the 2016 title. That summer the Warriors signed Durant and, in 2017, took the belt back.

What we have now is an NBA arms race. The Cavaliers are reportedly interested in trading for Paul George or Jimmy Butler. A big four to match Golden State’s. However, even if they could add George or Butler, it wouldn’t have the same reverberation as signing Durant. Neither of them are at that level. It would be more like adding a Klay Thompson to the formula. It would help (and surely narrow the gap), but it wouldn’t be enough. For the Cavaliers to truly be a challenger to the Warriors’ buffering dynasty, they need Irving to take a leap. Well, another leap.

It was between his sixth and seventh seasons that Curry took his biggest leap. He went from scoring 23.8 points per game and making 44.3 percent of his 3s to averaging 30.1 points and making 45.4 percent of his 3s. He had already won an MVP and a championship in his sixth season, but it was in his seventh year that he went from really good to really great.

Irving is going into his seventh season. Already with a championship and four All-Star games under his belt (he’s been to as many All-Star games as Curry), he needs to take a Curry-type leap. The Warriors have two of the best five or six players in the NBA and a possible Defensive Player of the Year. They don’t simply have four All-Stars, they have four All-NBA players.

As much as the Cavaliers would like to acquire George or Butler, they — nor Kevin Love — are likely to get to the level of Durant or Curry. They are already in their primes and, save for some small improvement, are who they will be. However, with the team parting ways with general manager David Griffin and Cleveland already saddled with the league’s highest payroll, they are most likely stuck with what they have. It’s easy to forget that Irving just turned 25-years-old in March. Not yet in his prime, he’s Cleveland’s best chance to add a truly elite talent. A 1B to LeBron’s 1A.

*****

Irving dazzled in the 2017 NBA Finals. In the final three games, he averaged 34.7 points on 51.3 percent shooting and 4.3 assists. He went toe-to-toe with Curry. His air-tight handle the equivalent of Curry’s lightning-fast release. Supple wrists that can get off any shot.

Last season, Irving was one of the best isolation players in the league. Only three players averaged more attempts in isolation per game than Irving (James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony), and he was by far a more efficient scorer, per NBA.com.

Irving is the only player to average more than four isolation possessions per game and score in at least the 90th percentile (DeMar DeRozan is second, at a percentile of 86.4), per NBA.com. He is, by far, the best one-on-one player in the NBA. He’s almost as impressive as a pick-and-roll ball handler, scoring in the 82.9 percentile.

He still needs to improve defensively (he’s slowly gotten better) and become a more threatening passer but he proved his transcendence as a scorer during the NBA Finals. He sliced through Golden State’s top-rated defense and his finishes around the basket were unstoppable.

As the Cavaliers walked off the court after Game 5, losing in the Finals four games to one, LeBron told Irving “we’ll be back.”

Being back is one thing. Winning is another. For the Cavaliers to have a chance, Irving will have to be even better. He’ll have to be as special as Curry or Durant, or his teammate who averaged a triple-double in the series.

Next: C.J. Miles is the type of free agent teams need vs. Warriors

“And that’s the type of guy that I want to be with every single time I’m going to war, because I know what to expect, and you stand your ground, too, with a leader like that,” Irving said after the game. “You don’t want to take a step back. You move to the front line with a guy like that, and you want to bring your game up to another level.”