Kyrie Irving’s ridiculous three cements overtime win for Cavs in Dallas

by Andrew Schnitkey

Cleveland Cavaliers (27–9) 110
Dallas Mavericks (22–17) 107
[Box Score]

The Cleveland Cavaliers won the opening tip in Dallas against the Mavericks. On their first play of the night, Kyrie Irving had a wide open look from three. He missed the shot. That would serve as an omen for much of this game.

The Cavaliers got off to an abysmal start and with five minutes remaining in the opening quarter, the Cavaliers found themselves in a 23–7 deficit. At that point the Mavericks were shooting 83.3 percent from the field while the Cavaliers were just 3 of 13 for 23.1 percent. It looked like the Cavaliers were in for a long night.

As they’ve done so many times this season, the Cavaliers were once again able to overcome a slow and sluggish start. By the end of the first quarter the Cavaliers had closed the gap to 25–22. The Cavaliers wouldn’t finally take their first lead until ten minutes were left in the fourth quarter. The game would eventually go to overtime where the Cavaliers were able to ride a huge Kyrie Irving three-point shot and a great defensive play by Iman Shumpert to pull off their eighth consecutive win.

Say what you will about this Cavaliers team, but this group is proving time and time again that they are capable of pulling out wins in a variety of different styles no matter what circumstance they find themselves. This was a game where the Cavaliers dug themselves an early 16-point deficit, crawled all the way back, gave a good portion of it back in the third quarter, forced overtime, then pulled off the win in the final minute by making huge plays on both ends of the court.

The Mavericks hadn’t lost a game all year when leading after three quarters. The Cavaliers have been an inconsistent road team. Yet in this game the Cavaliers were able to buck the trend and find a way to win. This was a nice one to get, too, as it ensures the Cavaliers can come out of this six game road trip no worse than 4–2. Two more stops in Texas, and finally the Cavaliers can go home.

Now lets look at the numbers…

• +10 — It’s been a tough season for Timofey Mozgov for sure. Between losing his starting spot and then the whispers of trade rumors, Mozgov has not been able to provide the same impact he did last season. In this game, though, Mozgov finally showed some shades of his old form. Mozgov subbed in this game with four minutes left in the first and the Cavaliers trailing 23–10. Mozgov would end the quarter with 4 rebounds, a steal, and a blocked shot to go with a +10 rating as the Cavaliers got back into the game. Mozgov’s timely rebounds and forced turnovers on the other end preserved and created extra possessions for the Cavaliers, allowing them to mount their comeback. It was a good sign for the struggling center.
• 36.8% — Through three quarters, the Cavaliers were shooting 36.8 percent from the field. It’s remarkable that the Cavaliers were able to hang in this game when they just weren’t able to get any shots to fall. Early in the second half the Cavs tied the game at 52, but as the missed shots piled up the Cavs actually fell back down by eleven. To their credit, the Cavaliers didn’t let the poor shooting affect their defense and they didn’t press too much on offense. In the 4th quarter they were able to start to increase their shooting to 42.5 percent and then in overtime they finally got hot and shot 66.7 percent to secure the win.
• 34 to 24 — On a night in which the Cavs starters got off to such a slow start and the shots weren’t falling, the team needed their bench to step up and come through, and that’s exactly what they were able to do. Matthew Dellavedova led the bench unit with 12 points while Mozgov and Shumpert scored ten points each as the Cavs bench outscored the Mavs bench 34 to 24. Shumpert also provided two of the biggest defensive plays in the game. First at the end of the 4th quarter he found himself on Dirk Nowitzki and Shump was able to use his quick hands to knock the ball free. Then in overtime, Shump found himself on Deron Williams with time winding down. Once again, Shumpert was able to knock the ball away from Williams with 5 seconds left to put the game away.
• 27/10/7 — Ho hum, just another stellar all around game for LeBron James. For the first three quarters, with the team struggling, they were definitely leaning on James to keep them in the game. At every turn it felt like LeBron made a big play when they desperately needed it, whether it be a crazy step-over three, a nice dunk with a stylish pose, or a pass to Kyrie Irving for a deep three to put the final nail in the coffin. LeBron also had two steals and had several plays on defense where he went for a block and was able to force the Mavs player to alter their shot and miss.

And so the Cavaliers leave Dallas with a big win. They’ve won eight straight games now, and to get to a streak of ten wins, they’re going to have to go to San Antonio and then Houston. It’s certainly not going to be easy, but as Kyrie Irving continues to work his way into full game shape, the Cavaliers as a team continue to get better and better.

Originally published at www.waitingfornextyear.com on January 13, 2016.