Kyrie Irving is back. After missing six months, he suited up for the first time this season as the Cleveland Cavaliers coasted to an easy 108-86 win over the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. His return to the court went as expected. He started out slowly -- missing his first five shots -- but he got his basketball legs under him and hit 5-of-7 shots to close out the day with 12 points and four assists in 17 minutes.
NBA scores 2015: Kyrie Irving is back, but the Cavaliers are still LeBron James’ team
The return of Kyrie Irving, the survival of the Hawks and everything else from NBA Sunday.
It was a promising night for Irving, who even showed how healthy he was with a nifty Euro-step, but one thing was made clear: This team still belongs to LeBron James. Sure, it was against the miserable 76ers, but 23 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 25 minutes is a remarkable stat line -- even if it is one James puts up routinely. The key now for the Cavaliers will be to find the balance between Irving and James on offense, all while mixing Kevin Love into the fold, too.
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.
That's where Irving can help. He's a career 39 percent shooter from behind the arc and was 2-for-2 in his first game back. Irving's return does add a different dynamic to the Cavaliers' pace. Last season with Irving on the court the Cavaliers' pace (possessions per 48 minutes) was 95.27, and 93.7 when he was off the court. This isn't a big difference, but those possessions add up. It merely shows Irving speeds up the game. The Cavaliers are a slightly different team with Irving on the court. He brings enough offensive firepower that it's feasible Cleveland could hang with a fast-paced team like the Golden State Warriors, but they've had success without Irving by slowing the game down.
Irving can, however, thrive in a slow-paced system. He’s a great one-on-one player, and he even showed it in his first game back.
The Cavaliers have changed from last year’s squad, namely that they’ve been a better team defensively this season without Irving. Last season their defensive rating (points given up per 100 possessions) was 104.1. This season it’s 99. Irving has never been known for his defense, and he’ll have to stay focused on that end of the court to fit in with this season’s Cavaliers.
For now, the Cavaliers should be thrilled Irving is back. James has been phenomenal this season as per usual, but he'll be able to take a back seat offensively on nights when Irving goes off (see: last year's game against the San Antonio Spurs when Irving went off for 57 points).
Yes, the Cavaliers may change their style now that Irving back, but they’re in better shape than they were without him. The Cavaliers were almost a championship team with Irving out, but it’s foolish to say they’re better without one of the NBA’s best players. Especially because they have James.
3 other things we learned
Kevin Garnett is one of the best things to happen to Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns had 24 points and 10 rebounds in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 100-85 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. It wasn't his first game in New York -- he had 25 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to the Knicks on Wednesday. Towns grew up in Piscataway, N.J., and was happy to be near his home state. The rookie is averaging 15.4 points and nine rebounds per game this season, great numbers for a first year. He's having a great rookie season, and Towns' father thinks it has a lot to do with Garnett. In the midst of the television broadcast, the Timberwolves' broadcast team recalled a conversation they had with Towns' dad. "... The best thing to ever happen to Karl is Kevin Garnett," he said, according to the broadcasters. It's currently working. The Timberwolves are having an up-and-down season, but Towns has been full of promise.
The Atlanta Hawks are survivors, especially if Kyle Korver can get going.
Six days ago, the Hawks had lost three straight and appeared to be spiraling into mediocrity after their 60-win season a year ago. But after beating the Orlando Magic on Sunday, the Hawks have won three straight. Not that it's pretty -- the Hawks are doing just enough to win. They controlled the first half of Sunday's game against the Magic -- who are 9-4 in their last 13 games -- but a disastrous third quarter let Orlando back into the game. The Hawks had eight turnovers in the third, and the Magic outscored them 36-25 to take a one-point lead heading into the fourth. The Hawks didn't fold, though. After going only 4-of-20 from three-point range in their win over the Celtics on Friday, Atlanta was 11-of-22 from deep against the Magic -- and it made the difference. Kyle Korver is only averaging 9.9 points per game this season, but he was 6-of-8 from behind the arc on his way to 19 points to lead the Hawks. If Korver can return to the form he showed last season -- he averaged 12.1 points per game on 49 percent shooting from deep compared with 39 percent this season -- the Hawks are a different basketball team. They aren't the juggernaut they were in the regular season last year, but they are proving that they are ready to battle with anyone in the East.
The Sacramento Kings at their best are scary.
Against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, Rajon Rondo was driving and dishing, Rudy Gay was slashing and scoring, and DeMarcus Cousins was blocking and boarding. The Kings looked great in their 104-94 win. So good it looked like they could hang with anyone. Luckily for the rest of the league, however, they're very inconsistent. Rondo led the Kings with 19 points and 13 assists, but it's when the entire team is rolling that the Kings are at their best. In Sunday's win, they had six players score in double figures. It's been a recurring theme as of late -- the Kings have won four of five by playing team ball. They have two stars in Rondo and Cousins, but they need help. And when a role player like Omri Casspi has 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 11 rebounds like he did on Sunday, the Kings can hang.
Play of the night
There’s only one option when DeMarcus Cousins gets the ball with a clear lane to the basket: GET OUT OF THE WAY.
3 fun things
Scores
Heat 116, Blazers 109 (Hot Hot Hoops recap | Blazer's Edge recap)
Timberwolves 100, Nets 85 (Canis Hoopus recap | NetsDaily recap)
Cavaliers 108, 76ers 86 (Fear the Sword recap | Liberty Ballers recap)
Bucks 101, Suns 95 (Brew Hoop recap | Bright Side of the Sun recap)
Hawks 103, Magic 100 (Peachtree Hoops recap | Orlando Pinstriped Post recap)
Kings 104, Raptors 94 (Sactown Royalty recap | Raptors HQ recap)
Pelicans 130, Nuggets 125 (Denver Stiffs recap | The Bird Writes recap)
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