Kyrie Irving will backtrack to his old self on the basketball court this evening, starting from 21:30 CET. You can take this to the bank.
After having an off game on Friday scoring only 11 points (3-13 FG) and dishing 0 (as in ZERO) assists, Cavs point guard will look to redeem himself and his teammates in the crucial Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals. Cleveland definitely needs it and teammate LeBron James definitely expects it. And like any true superstar, he will deliver.
“I’m pretty optimistic,” Irving responded to the question whether he will be good to go in Game 4. He played through a foot injury in the first game of the series at the United Center, hobbling on the court and struggling to find any sort of rhythm. “It is what it is at this point… For me it’s more of a prideful thing, and as a competitor, just go out there and give any team whatever is needed and whatever I can give.”
Cleveland is down 2-1 after Derrick Rose banked a three-point shot at the buzzer and desperately needs a win to regain home-court advantage. Falling 3-1 and just one game out of the playoffs is a recipe for disaster so expect both James and Irving to play with some extra motivation.
James needs any help he can get with Kevin Love out of the picture so look for Irving to attack early and often. This is the only way Cavs can win in Chicago and return to the state of Ohio with confidence.
Tip in
After losing Game 1 at home, Cleveland bounced back thanks to an ultra-aggressive LeBron. Now, with another loss in the books, Cavs needs an ultra-aggressive Irving.
The point guard averages 22.1 points per game while shooting 42% in this year’s post-season; he finished the regular season with 21.7 ppg and 47% field-goal percentage. Since NBA Basketball is a game of averages, Irving should score at least 20 points tonight, if not more. And if he does, then the away team has a pretty good chance of taking down Game 4.
Kyrie Irving scores 20 points or more.
Florian Gheorghe