Kyrie Irving watched most of the 2015 NBA Finals from the hospital after fracturing his kneecap in game 1, but made the most of his full finals in 2016.
The former Duke standout hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining in game 7 Sunday evening to break a 89-89 tie as the Cleveland Cavaliers won Cleveland's first championship in 52 years with a dramatic 93-89 victory. Irving had 26 points on 10-of-23 shooting and six rebounds Sunday, including the enormous 3-pointer over Golden State point guard Stephen Curry.
The Warriors beat the Cavaliers in six games in 2015, but became the first team ever to squander a 3-1 NBA Finals lead.
"It was just about being resilient," Irving told ESPN's Doris Burke on the court after the game.
Irving and former Blue Devil Dahntay Jones became the third and fourth former players coached by head coach Mike Krzyzewski to win NBA championships, joining Shane Battier (Miami Heat, 2012) and Danny Ferry (San Antonio Spurs, 2003).
Irving averaged 31.2 points per game in the final five games of the series, but the fifth-year player got off to a slow start in his first full finals, shooting 33.3 percent in the first two games this year as the Warriors blew the Cavaliers out twice to take a 2-0 series lead at home. However, Irving turned it around as Cleveland routed Golden State by 30 points in game 3, pouring in 30 points on 12-of-25 shooting and eight assists.
Irving had another strong game in game 4, scoring 34 points on 14-of-28 shooting, but the former NBA All-Star Game MVP had several miscues in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers fell 108-97 after a second-half Warriors rally. Golden State set a record for the most 3-pointers ever made in a playoff game with 17, including 11 from its record-setting backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
The West Orange, N.J., native made sure to finish strong in game 5, recording one of the best offensive performances in NBA Finals history to help keep the Cavaliers' season alive on the road. Irving had 41 points on 17-of-24 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, and six assists, and he and LeBron James became the first pair of teammates ever to both score more than 40 points in the same finals game en route to a 112-97 win.
Irving made several key shots in the fourth quarter of game 5 to help Cleveland pull away despite 37 points from Thompson, and James made sure the Cavaliers would force a game 7 this year after losing on their home court in game 6 a season ago.
The Akron, Ohio, native dominated the penultimate game with 41 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and Irving added 23 points on 7-of-18 shooting in a 115-101 victory.
Irving was not the only former Blue Devil to see action in the series.
Little-used reserve Jones was forced into action late in the first half of game 6 with several teammates in foul trouble and took advantage of the opportunity. The 6-foot-6 guard converted a runner in the lane through contact from Warrior forward Draymond Green and made the free throw to complete the three-point play, and he made two free throws on the ensuing possession to score the Cavaliers' last five points of the half.
Jones appeared in five games in the series and also chipped in three points in game 1.
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