Kyrie Irving, wearing No. 2. Photo courtesy of Cavaliers Facebook page.
WEST ORANGE – As a youngster, Kyrie Irving honed his basketball skills while growing up in West Orange.
Irving fulfilled his dream to reach the National Basketball Association. In fact, he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011 following his freshman year at Duke University.
Irving quickly become one of the best players in the league. The dazzling point guard was the 2011-12 NBA Rookie of the Year and 2014 NBA All-Star Game MVP.
Now, he is a NBA champion.
Irving hit a tiebreaking three-pointer with 53 seconds left in regulation to give the Cleveland Cavaliers their first NBA title in the 93-89 win in the decisive Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors on Father’s Day in Oakland, Calif.
With the score tied 89-all, Irving hit a contested three-pointer over two-time NBA regular-season MVP Stephen Curry. Superstar teammate LeBron James added a free throw as the Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to win a Game 7 in the Finals after trailing three games-to-one.
Irving finished with 26 points, including 12 in third quarter to help the Cavs rally from a 49-42 halftime deficit.
It was only the third time that a team forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-1 in the Finals and the first time in 50 years.
Not only did the Cavs beat a Warrriors team that won a NBA-record 73 wins this season, but they avenged last year’s NBA Finals loss to the Warriors.
It was sweet redemption for Irving, who suffered a devastating knee injury in the Game 1 overtime loss to the Warriors and missed the rest of the Finals last year.
This time, Irving was healthy. And he rose to the occasion.
In the do-or-die Game 4 on June 13, Irving simply was phenomenal. He and James each scored 41 points in the 112-97 win at Golden State. Irving was 17-of-24 from the field, including 5-of-7 on three-pointers.
The Cavs returned home three days later and won again, 115-101, as Irving scored 23 points to tie the series at 3-3.
In Game 7, Irving exploded in the third quarter after being held to just nine points in the first half. The Cavaliers erased the seven-point halftime deficit and at one point led by seven in the quarter before Golden State regained the momentum for a 76-75 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Irving was 10-of-23 from the field, 2-of-5 from three-point range, in 43 minutes. James had a triple-double of 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists and was named the Finals MVP.
It was Cleveland’s first professional sports title since 1964 when the Browns won the National Football League championship.
Irving had a game-high 26 points in the 104-89 Game 1 loss and scored 10 points in the 110-77 Game 2 loss, both at Golden State. Irving had 30 points on 12-of-25 shooting in the 120-90 win in Game 3 in Cleveland. He had a team-high 34 points on 14-of-28 shooting in 43 minutes in the 108-97 Game 4 home loss that put the Cavs in the 3-1 hole.
Irving, who turned 24 in March, attended Roosevelt Middle School in West Orange before starting high school at Montclair Kimberley Academy for two years. He then transferred to powerhouse St. Patrick in Elizabeth and became an All-American.
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