On March 12, 2015, Kyrie Irving put on an unforgettable performance against the Spurs. He scored a career-high 57 points to lead the Cavaliers to a thrilling 128-125 overtime victory.
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Irving was on fire from the start, knocking down his first five shots and finishing the first quarter with 10 points. But it was in the second quarter that he really caught fire, scoring an astounding 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.
His three-point shooting was particularly impressive, as he hit a series of difficult, contested shots with defenders draped all over him. Irving also made the shot that took the game to OT – a 3 from the right wing.
Ultimately, it was a game that would put many All-Stars’ highlight reels to shame.
JR Smith says LeBron James looked invisible when Kyrie Irving had his outburst against the Spurs
JR Smith had recently been traded to Cleveland along with Iman Shumpert by the New York Knicks. He was still settling into his role as the Cavs’ sixth man when this game took place.
Kyrie’s incredible shot-making left even a circus shot-maker like JR in awe. The former Sixth Man of the Year noted that his dominance that day made even LeBron James look like a sidekick:
“It’s so many times I’ve seen him (Kyrie Irving) make – and it’s hard to make Bron look small – but the things that he would do? You’d think Bron was on the bench. The way he’s scoring, the way he’s just going nuts.”
“We played a San Antonio game, he had 55 on Tony Parker? Oh my God. I forgot Bron (LeBron James) was on the court, literally. Bron had a triple-double on a low 30-something.”
“This 6’1″ young dude who’s scoring effortlessly, like left hand, right hand, mid-range, pull-up, free throws. Threes, post-ups. That was amazing.”
The Spurs-Cavs Game in Question is a Regular Season Classic
Despite Irving’s heroics, the Spurs were able to keep the game close, and the two teams traded blows throughout the second half. With just over a minute remaining in regulation, the Spurs appeared to have the game in hand, leading by three points and in possession of the ball.
But Irving came up with a huge steal, then hit a game-tying three-pointer to send the game into overtime. In the extra period, Irving continued to dominate, scoring nine more points and hitting a pair of clutch free throws to put the game out of reach.
His final stat line was truly remarkable: 20-of-32 shooting (62.5%), including 7-of-7 from three-point range, 6-of-6 from the free throw line, six assists, and five rebounds.
