CLEVELAND, Ohio – In Cleveland, sports fans have long proven that they are not very quick to forget. A certain free agent departure in 2010 is evidence of that.
But when it comes to their own, when it comes to the most dazzling Cavaliers player who now takes the court nightly, memories, apparently, are short.
One night after failing to score a single point for the first time in his NBA career, Kyrie Irving received an in-game message of support from a fan, and faced down the player he most looks up to in the league, Chris Paul.
The final result was one fan taken into custody after rushing on the court, tapping Irving on the shoulder and displaying a shirt that read, "Kyrie Don't Leave" -- and a Cavaliers 88-82 victory over the L.A. Clippers at The Q.
Irving had 20 points on 6-for-15 shooting while also dishing out six assists and maintaining his composure after the fan strolled onto the court with about three minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The fan calmly tapped Irving on the shoulder as the point guard was back-peddling down the court to play defense. Paul dribbled the ball to midcourt before facing the fan, picking up the ball and staring him down. Referee Gary Zielinski quickly stepped toward the fan, and security swarmed him to escort him off the court.
"He just said 'Kyrie, don't leave.'" Irving said. "Just a prideful Cleveland fan. I love them."
The fan, a minor, was taken into custody by Cleveland police, and charges are pending, Cavaliers PR said. He is the second fan to rush onto the court at The Q in the last two seasons. In March, a fan wearing a shirt that read "We Miss You, Come Back 2014" ran up to LeBron James during the Cavaliers-Miami Heat game.
It was just part of a bizarre night of basketball that also included a tangled fight between Anderson Varejao and Clippers forward Blake Griffin with two minutes remaining in the game, one that resulted in a technical foul for Griffin and another technical for Jarrett Jack as he entered the fray.
In between the absurdity, the Cavaliers found a way to victory by way of dominating big men and frantic defense that held the Clippers to 32 percent shooting.
Tristan Thompson scored 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting and had 13 rebounds, while Andrew Bynum had 18 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes. Varejao collected 17 rebounds, a season-high.
In all, the Cavaliers outrebounded the Clippers 60-45,
"Our bigs have been leading us, outrebounding teams and just defending our butts off out there," Irving said.
It's what the Cavaliers have needed to help them win three of their last four games, while Irving has struggled through his worst start in his three NBA seasons. His 39.4 percent shooting is his lowest in three seasons, and his 3.25 turnovers per game are his highest.
But even after his 0-for-9 performance against Atlanta, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown reiterated his confidence in the All-Star point guard.
"I don't care if he goes 0-for-30, I want him to keep being aggressive," Brown said. "If he misses five in a row and he feels like he can get a great look on his next one, take it and I'll back him. I'll support him. I just don't want him to lose his aggressiveness on that end of the floor because we need him to score and that's what he can do. He can score and he can make plays for his teammates. So I want him to keep being aggressive. Have a short memory."
Irving scored his first shot of the night on a backdoor layup, and proceeded to have a steady influence offensively. His 360-dribble move around Willie Green for a layup in the first half was highlight-worthy, as was his driving layup past every Clippers defender that gave the Cavaliers an 82-72 edge.
"We look back on the Atlanta game and we have to be disappointed in ourselves," Irving said. "But we came here and competed at home, and it started with me. Just coming out and getting minutes and competing. Everybody followed suit and everybody played their role tonight and got it done."
And for that, Cleveland loves Irving.
