Cavaliers rally from 11-point deficit in final five minutes for 88-87 win.
Kyrie Irving drives past Boston's Brandon Bass for the winning basket as teammate Anderson Varejao tries to stay out of the rookie's way.Boston -- Kyrie Irving stood patiently dribbling the basketball as the seconds ticked down, the Celtics' crowd chanted "De-fense" and the moment grew ripe with opportunity.
The 19-year-old rookie had been in a similar spot a month earlier in Indiana, the ball in his hands, a victory within reach, only to see his left-handed layup rim out. But the bad memory never entered his mind, Irving said, as he waited for a high screen from teammate Anderson Varejao and an open look at the basket.
Beneath the Celtics' 17 championship banners and in front of his father, Drederick, who sat at courtside, Irving drove the lane, spun between two defenders and grabbed a piece of Cavaliers lore. His spectacular left-handed layup with 2.6 seconds remaining capped an improbable comeback and delivered an 88-87 win before a stunned sellout crowd of 18,624 fans.
As the ball went through the cylinder and the Celtics called timeout, Irving pointed to his dad, a former player who had attended Boston University. It was a remarkable family moment and a pretty nice one for all Cavaliers fans. They witnessed their shorthanded team, playing without two injured guards, score the game's final 12 points in one of the nation's basketball meccas. The celebration began in earnest seconds later as the jumper by Paul Pierce, who had one of Varejao's long arms in his face, missed the mark.
"He had another opportunity, and I thought he really focused in," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said of Irving's second chance at a game-winner. "I really thought at the end of the game, when he had the ball in his hands, I told him we're going to run a high pick-and-roll and see what you can get. We're going to spread the floor for you.
"He had the look in his eye like he wanted it, like he wanted to kind of redeem himself."
Someone asked Scott about drawing up the last shot for a teenager.
"At that particular time, I wasn't thinking about his age," the coach said, smiling. "I was just thinking about how pretty damn good he is with the ball in his hands."
The Cavs erased an 87-76 deficit in the final 4 minutes, 25 seconds. They did it with rookie Mychel Thompson on the floor because Daniel Gibson couldn't play due to a neck injury and Anthony Parker out of the game with back spasms. They did it despite terrific performances from Boston's Big Three -- Ray Allen, Pierce and Kevin Garnett -- who combined for 54 points. They did it with just about everyone thinking the game was over.
"We just had a lot of energy coming out of the timeout [with 3:42 left]," said Irving, who finished with 23 points and six assists. "We knew if we got a couple of stops, we would be in the game. . . . We just wanted to come out aggressive, especially when we needed that comeback. I'm proud of my teammates."
Irving and Varejao combined for 10 of the Cavaliers' final 12 points. The Brazilian center, who contributed a season-high 18 points, was everywhere in the final 45 seconds. He grabbed an offensive rebound to keep the possession alive and dived on a loose ball that allowed the Cavs to call time with 22.2 seconds left. It was a night when the club got plenty of unsung contributions, including Alonzo Gee, who registered 14 points, six rebounds and four steals, and Thompson, who scored his first two NBA baskets and had a critical steal in the fourth quarter.
But as Scott designed the final play, there was no question who would take the shot. Boston coach Doc Rivers had to know where the ball was going.
"I thought he dominated the fourth quarter," Rivers said of Irving, who had eight points in the final six minutes. He single-handedly, in my opinion, willed that win for them."
Scott wanted his point guard to milk time off the clock and begin his move to the basket with about seven seconds left. Irving did just that. Unlike the Cavaliers' previous No. 1 overall pick, LeBron James, who often drew defenders toward him before passing the ball to a teammate in such situations, Irving has twice tried to decide the outcome for his club.
"I knew I wasn't going to settle for a jump shot, that's for sure," Irving said. "I wanted to get the best look possible, whether it was giving it up to a teammate for an open [3-point shot] or a layup. But when I saw the opening, I took it to the basket for the shot."
Irving spun between rookie guard Avery Bradley and forward Brandon Bass at the foul line to create the open layup.
"I guess you can say that, a little bit of redemption," Irving said in reference to the 98-91 overtime loss to Indiana on Dec. 30. "I just give credit to my teammates for having confidence in me and the coaching staff for giving me the ball at the end of the game. . . . It was tough shot. I'm just happy we got the win."
Before the game, Scott said Irving's breath smells like Similac -- a brand of babyformula. The line drew plenty of laughs. After a memorable night hadended, the coach was asked about it again.
"I told him his breath smells like Similac still," Scott said. "He's all right. He grew up a little bit more tonight."
