When Kyrie Irving drilled the championship-clinching three-pointer over the outstretched arm of Stephen Curry in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, you could sense LeBron James' vision for his second go-round with the Cleveland Cavaliers coming to fruition.
Yes, James had successfully led the franchise that drafted him to its first title, fulfilling the fundamental promise he made within his 2014 return essay. That was part of it.
The less-talked-about, albeit equally important, part had to do with Irving, the 24-year-old guard to whom James willingly tethered a branch of his legacy, if not the rest of his professional career.
That game-winning, title-sealing, dynasty-derailing fadeaway triple was not some coming-out party for Irving. He has three All-Star appearances to his name and might have earned a fourth if he began the 2015-16 season healthy. We have seen him hit contested threes before; he drilled 21 of them through 53 regular-season appearances.
This shot in particular, though, was Irving's coming-of-role moment. The entire NBA Finals served as this larger proving ground for him, confirming his value as a champ ...
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Article written by Dan Favale
Kyrie Irving Gives LeBron James Something He’s Never Had: A Successor
July 9th, 2016 by Dan Favale Leave a reply »
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