Prior to this year, Kyrie Irving had never played on a winning team with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In fact, the most wins the team had ever earned with Kyrie was 33.
However, the world knew that was bound to change when Lebron James announced his return to Cleveland last Summer. This became even more certain when the Cavs signed Kevin Love.
All of the sudden the Cavs had gone from a weak team with Kyrie being the lone bright spot to a championship contender sporting the most talented big 3 in the NBA.
However, the road hasn’t been easy for Cleveland. The team has faced struggles throughout the season, from team chemistry to friction with head coach David Blatt.
However, Kyrie was prepared for the difficulties of this season. He told Kurt Helin of NBC Sports:
“I went through so much (expletive) last year. What happens externally doesn’t even faze me anymore. It’ll never faze me again ever in my career,” Irving said. “Once you stop giving a (expletive), and it’s all about basketball, everything will be good.”
Irving has a good mindset. By not “giving a (expletive)” he means not allowing all the off-court drama affect his game. Irving has had an excellent season, despite this being his first year not being the go-to-guy on his team, averaging 22 points and 5.2 assists on 46.7% shooting from the field and a career-high 41.4% from deep.
It remains to be seen whether or not this Cavs team can bring Cleveland its first NBA championship ever, but Kyrie Irving definitely has the right approach going into the playoffs.
