CLEVELAND (AP) – Kyrie Irving clapped his hands as he walked to the middle of the locker room unaware of the surprise his teammates had in store for him.
As Irving untucked his jersey, LeBron James and the rest of the Cavaliers crowded around the star point guard before dousing him with bottles of water and some ice. All of the Cavs then danced wildly in a circle.
History deserved a celebration.
Irving scored a career-high 55 points, the most in the NBA this season and a Quicken Loans Arena record, on Wednesday night as the Cavs won their eighth straight, 99-94 over the Portland Trail Blazers despite playing without an injured James.
With James sidelined with a sprained right wrist, Irving made a team record 11 3-pointers, all 10 of his free throws and dropped a go-ahead jumper with 6.4 seconds left that, to this point, is his defining moment as a pro. There are sure to be others to come.