Kyrie Irving scored 12 points in 17 minutes in his first game of the season for the Cavaliers, who had no problems in a 108-86 win over the 76ers on Sunday. Cleveland’s fifth straight win has them atop the Eastern Conference (18-7), and pushed Philadelphia’s record to an NBA-worst 1-28.
Kyrie’s back, but the Cavs still belong to LeBron
They have plenty of time to figure it out. Plus, the luxury of being the best team in the East gives them room to experiment. So far this season they’ve had success by controlling the pace of the game, playing a plodding, methodical style without mistakes.
It starts with James, who is somehow still playing at a ridiculously high level in his 13th season in the league. At some point his production will have to drop off, but it still hasn’t. He’s averaging 26.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, all right on par with his career averages. The only thing he’s doing dramatically worse this season than he ever has is shooting from deep, hitting a career-low 27.8 percent of his threes.
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