Kyrie Irving envisioned a different outcome after returning to the Cavaliers’ lineup for the first time since he suffered a sprained left shoulder on March 10 in Toronto.
“I just wanted to win, regardless,” said Irving, whose 31 points were not enough to prevent the Cavs from losing to the Hornets on Sunday at New Orleans Arena, 112-92, as their longest losing streak of the season reached eight games.
Irving admitted he was winded at the start of the game and his legs got heavy at the finish.
“But I tried to push through until the end,” he said.
That is, of course, what he does. He had 20 points in the final seven minutes of a 105-100 win over the Hornets at Cleveland on Feb. 20, 2013.
But that was then, and this is now.
Back then, the Cavs had won four of five coming off the All-Star break and it looked as if they were really coming together. But they’ve won only two games since to fall to 22-50. They never seem to know what they’re doing in the third quarter, or against the pick-and-roll.
Sunday, New Orleans point guard Greivis Vasquez had 25 points and 9 assists, with 16 of those points and three of those assists coming in the third quarter when the Hornets ran that basic basketball play — the pick and roll — to perfection over and over again, outscoring the Cavs, 36-24. Rookie Anthony Davis was on the other end of those assists and had 13 points in the period.
It was a waste of what seemed like a promising start when Irving was introduced in the starting lineup for the first time after missing eight games. He had two points in the first quarter but 15 in the second.
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