On Tuesday, October 25th the Cleveland Cavaliers will host the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena as they begin their NBA championship defense. Star point guard Kyrie Irving is expected to play in the home opener, despite leaving the Cavs preseason finale in Columbus, Ohio with calf tightness.
After the team’s practice on Saturday, Irving spoke to the media and he said he would give his father his NBA championship ring after the team’s ceremony.
“I give my dad almost everything. So, every accomplishment, every MVP award, every trophy that I’ve had since I was probably about 13 or 12, I’ve given to my dad.”
Kyrie’s dad, Drederick Irving, was an instrumental part in Kyrie’s success. Right away, Kyrie started dribbling a basketball at only 13 months old. You can more than likely thank his dad, a former Australian hoops star. From there, Irving learned and developed his craft, becoming one of the best basketball talents in the world.
It will certainly be a night full of emotion for Irving, the Cavs and the entire city of Cleveland. It is the city’s first title since 1964 but another team that same night will begin their final series in search of Cleveland’s second title in under six months. The Cleveland Indians will proceed on with their championship run as they host Game 1 of the World Series next door at Progressive Field against the Chicago Cubs.
The Cavs have moved their start back from 8 to 7:30 so that the fans of Cleveland sports will have the opportunity to watch the ceremony before the Indians play game one versus the Cubs.
Coach Tyronn Lue and superstar LeBron James said earlier this week that they are expecting the ceremony to be emotional. Irving added that “it will be great to reflect on the team’s accomplishments before the beginning of the new season”.
Kyrie also went on to say the following.
“There definitely is a special aspect to it,” he said. “You don’t want to shy away from that, but it also is the start of a new journey. So you just try to find a middle ground between that and just try not to get too high or too low. The crowd will be very enthused, not only for us getting our rings but the World series starting, which is unbelievable. So, I just try to stay even keel with it, not get too high or too low. I’m excited to give my dad the ring and really gift it to him, and now it will be time to turn over a new leaf.”
You can indeed catch the Cavs start their title defense on TNT with coverage beginning at 7 PM ET.
