If Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love play like this, the Cavaliers can beat anyone

Something unusual happened in the fourth quarter of Game 1 between the Cavaliers and Pistons. The game was surprisingly close, so there was little margin for error during the final stretch, the time always dominated by superstars. Yet during this precarious time, LeBron James, the Cavaliers’ best player and still one of the best two in the world, repeatedly deferred to two much-maligned teammates.

He made way for Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving in crunch time because they were finally rising to the occasion. After being forced to go into his all-conquering god mode during last year’s run and down the stretch in this year’s regular season, this must have been a welcome change for James. He could have done it by himself if required, but Love and Irving were playing so well that James, like the rest of us, could stand back and enjoy the show.

In the end, Irving finished with 31 points, while Love dropped 28 along with 13 rebounds. They made play after play late, allowing the Cavaliers to hold off the feisty Pistons. Meanwhile, James only had 22 points and just two in the game’s final four minutes.

After the win, Love told ABC that he and Irving talked about the chance this game presented to prove themselves, especially after both were injured in last year’s playoffs. He said that all they needed to do was get to their spots and hit their shots. It could well be as simple as that, but it really seemed these two were intent on reminding the world why James believed in them as running mates for his newest super team two years ago.

Take the sequence that happened with five minutes left in the game.

After a Reggie Jackson layup from an inbound pass, Love set a high pick for Irving at the other end. This created a situation where Jackson fell behind Irving and Drummond, fearful of Irving’s quickness, dropped down to the paint. Irving smartly kicked the ball back out to Love at the three-point line, and he drove past a recovering Drummond. Love lost the ball, but still managed to find J.R. Smith in the left corner with a scooped pass. Smith swung it to James, who drove into the paint from the left wing, drew a triple team and passed back to Love in the right corner. Love made the ensuing three.

That sequence was everything James, Love and Irving can be when they blend their immense talents. The threat of Irving’s quickness and finishing ability forced the Pistons to drop deep, allowing Love to get whatever he wanted from the outside. Meanwhile, James demanded constant attention, and the sight of him driving to the rim called for several defenders to collapse. When this happened, James hit the open Love sliding into the corner.

The three of them worked together to abuse the Pistons, but it was clearly Love and Irving leading the way. Love, who averaged just 16 points during the season, had become the butt of many Cavaliers jokes, to the point that some players initially thought he was being traded when the organization called a team meeting to announce David Blatt’s firing.

Against the Pistons, Love played like the franchise player he was in Minnesota. He was the impossible riddle for defenses he was then and was expected to be in Cleveland, working Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris in the post with a combination of jumpers, hook shots and easy layups. He led all scorers in points by halftime, making a few threes during that span.

Irving was the same sort of riddle. After starting 0-for-4, he hit a three to invigorate his team and himself. But unlike other games, he didn’t fall into his old brash traps, choosing instead to look for better options than contested layups after repeatedly beating his man on the dribble. On one play, he held onto his pivot foot so long that he almost fell. As the defenders converged, he slipped the ball between them to a cutting James for an easy finish.

Irving can score. That’s as true as water is wet. But in this game, he took the creative burden off James and remained dangerous enough that he still capitalized as a shooter when James took back that role.

Love, Irving and James achieved an elusive harmony and extinguished the hopes of a Pistons team shooting well above its ability. It was telling that James had the confidence to let Love and Irving lead at the end. It showed his trust in them, trust he hasn’t always given. The fact that the two delivered when called upon has to be a welcome sight for Cleveland and a harrowing one for rivals.

When the game got tight and the real possibility of another flurry of bad headlines hung in the air, Love and Irving stepped to the fore. They didn’t shrink, nor were they wasteful like Jackson was down the stretch for Detroit. They played to their abilities and then some, molding themselves to fit James’ multitude of talents. They were his sidekicks, yet still played like superstars in their own right.

They’ll have to do it every night from now on in this postseason. Detroit will not go quietly into the night, and though it should be unreasonable to expect them to shoot at the same level, they have the ability and personnel to make this a tough first-round series for the Cavaliers. There are greater challenges down the line that may include James’ former team, to say nothing of the beasts out West.

James could very well put the team on his shoulders and will them back to the Finals this year, but he shouldn’t have to carry that burden alone. If Love and Irving keep playing this well, that path will be unnecessary.

The two of them have expressed in words and actions that they are playing with chips on their shoulders. If they can replicate this same performance down the line, Cleveland really could challenge any juggernaut that emerges from the West in the end.