Kyrie Irving impresses in Rising Stars Challenge
After weeks of media attention devoted to the remarkable Jeremy Lin story, the forgotten man from Cleveland, Kyrie Irving, showed us Friday night why he was this seasons number one pick in the draft.
The Rising Stars Game saw the top talent from this season’s rookie class teamed up with the best sophomore players to play for either Team Shaq, coached by Shaquille O’Neal, or Team Chuck, coached by Charles Barkley.
Team Chuck came out as the victors of the competition 146-133 and it was Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers that stood out for the winning team.
Hitting on 100% of his three-point attempts, Irving shot an impressive eight for eight from three-point land and finished with 34 points and 9 assists as he took home the game’s MVP award.
Averaging 18.1 points, 5.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this season Irving even surprised himself en-route to a 12-13 shooting night overall.
“No, it’s never occurred in my career,” he said. “You know, it’s kind of unfortunate that it comes in the All-Star Game. These stats don’t carry over into the season. But at the end of the day, it was still fun to get out there with those talented guys. So it was a good experience.”
Teaming up with Paul George (23 points) and DeMarcus Cousins (18 points), Irving and Team Chuck swept aside their opponents with ease.
The game was kicked off with an electrifying move as Irving and George combined for a powerful alley-oop slam and within two minutes they already held an 8-0 lead.
The game saw plenty of fast-paced action as the young guards went end-to-end at pace, showing a range of aerial and acrobatic skills that lent themselves to the entertaining style NBA All-Star Weekend expects.
Los Angeles Clipper’s big-man Blake Griffin showcased his talents catching a number of alley-oops and highlighted his night by catching his own pass off the backboard and dunking it.
Griffin’s performance was one of the few bright sparks in a team that was over-stocked with point guards including; Ricky Rubio, Jeremy Lin, Kemba Walker and Norris Cole.
While Jeremy Lin saw fewer minutes than many had hoped his two points in the eight minutes he played were underwhelming in comparison to his recent showings and were overshadowed by the standout performance of Irving.
Whether Lin was simply trying to avoid another back-to-back-to-back or whether he was just sick of the recent media attention and saw a chance to avoid it, Kyrie Irving’s night was outstanding and the number one draft pick will not be looking to let anyone forget it any time soon.
